What the Water Gave Me

Back in September when I left my job and NYC, my childhood friend gave me an amazing going away present, a journal. Over the years I have sporadically written my thoughts and ideas in journals, but this gift was different. This journal has a great concept; it is called “One Line A Day: A Five Year Memory Book”. The concept of the journal is that each page has 5 spots to write down your thoughts/ideas/inspirations/recap from that day, and on the same day the next year you will see what happened the prior year, etc.

I started writing in my “One Line a Day” the night before I left NYC for this amazing journey that I am on and every couple of weeks I like to look back and read some of my entries. Not so surprisingly, a lot of my entries are about surfing. I can’t believe how much I have learned about not just the physical nature of this sport, but the mental aspect as well, and how much more that is possible.

Well, over the week that I was sidelined from not being able to get in the water (thankfully only one week, I got back in the water last week), I took some time to reflect on what surfing has taught me so far…here goes…

You can do anything that you set your mind to: I wouldn’t be writing this post if I had not decided to act on my crazy idea and leave Corporate America and the Big Apple…
Be patient: Back in December, I paddled out for a glass-off, sunset session. For some reason I was not feeling it. There were so many people in the water and my arms were sore. Then all of a sudden I found myself paddling farther out to catch an outside set wave and as a result I had this beautiful ride. In about 30 seconds I went from being cranky to on cloud nine. In other words, wait for the good moments and let the other “stuff” flow right past you.
You are never too old to laugh or make fun of yourself: I love catching a beautiful wave as much as any other surfer, but half of the fun out there for me is being able to hysterically laugh my butt off from a funny wipeout. Gets me every time. There is nothing like a good laugh and a bright smile. 🙂

Mother Nature is amazing: The gorgeous sunsets and sunrises, the raw and powerful breaking wave, emerald-turqouise clear water, iguanas, monkeys, birds…are all beyond beautiful and just breathtaking.

Don’t be afraid to take risks: Charging down a head-high + wave is a pretty exhilarating thing…BUT wiping out and going through the washing machine happens, you just gotta shake it off and charge down the next one!
Surround yourself with good people and positive energy: Being surrounded by the right people makes all the difference. Weed out the bad ones and feed off the positive energy.
Just keep swimming: Everyone is allowed a bad session, just make sure you brush yourself off and take away some lessons and so you can rip it up on the next session!
Waking up at 5AM for dawn-patrol is rewarding: You know that saying, “The early-bird gets the worm”??? Well, being the first one to paddle out and having the waves all to yourself (well maybe sharing with a couple other friends) is so worth that early wake-up call.

Watching a sunset is even better when you are on a surfboard: There is something magical about sitting out in the water on your surfboard, watching the sun go down, catching beautiful waves, and being part of the Mother Nature’s symphony.
AND last, but not least: The blissful feeling of pure stoke. For all you non-surfers out there, this is pure elation. Dropping in and riding a beautiful wave never ceases to amaze me….STOKE.