The next step
I struggled to pull the wet rubbery suit up my limbs and torso.
Once I was zippered in and velcroed up, I was, apparently, ready for the next step.
Excited and nervous, I carried my board down some steep wooden stairs onto the beach where we were given safety instructions and direction to realize a hang ten.
Okay, maybe to be able to stand and balance for 23 seconds.
At first, we walked into the ocean until we were deep enough to lay on our boards.
I eyed waves on one side of me and the sandy beach in the distance on the other.
Fear crept in and my heart raced.
Doubt made an appearance, bringing her close friend Anxiety.
My instructor, seasoned and not one for coddling, taught me some valuable life lessons out in that deep turquoise water.
First.
Breathe.
Both to calm down and to understand the ebb and flow of the waves because this sport is actually part meditative.
Becoming one with Mother Nature.
Second.
Believe that you can do this.
Because you can.
Third.
Follow the instructions. Assess and be decisive.
Fourth.
Go for it.
Commit.
Be perseverant.
There is a surprising amount of waiting in surfing.
It is active waiting where one is observing the waves, feeling the current, the wind and calculating when to take the next great wave that can be ridden to exhilaration.
When that happens, it is truly vitalizing.
Except sometimes we fall.
And get crushed by the curl.
Water gets in our eyes, ears and even our lungs.
We are hoping the board doesn’t smack us in the head and that we don’t drown.
And then we come up for air and go straight back into the ocean to try it again.
Surfing was a life lesson in believing in oneself, patience, taking action and tenacity.
I wore that wetsuit with pride and carried my board out of the ocean like a badge of honor.
Trying new things in the face of fear and doubt turns out to be a perfect metaphor for living.
Cowabunga!
