Surfs Up

Image Courtesy of Roxy.com

The last few weeks have been turbulent, rough swells and well foreboading watery depths. Change, or rather drastic change, inevitable change has for most of my life s brought a lot of fear and trepidation. Anxiety was my life and for many years, sometimes all I could do was semi breathe. But this time even though the waters looked gloomy and uncertain and it still does, I know I have my surf board. I can seriously choose to enjoy this ride, garner a few thrills, let the control go so I can have a blast, or I can freak out. I prefer to have fun, as freaking out is getting really old, really quick.

I listened to Abraham Hicks about waves, energy waves, vibration etc, the other night and,  it struck a cord. I am a water baby, a Pisces by birth, the ocean called my name when I was just a small child and water has always been soothing for me.  My ancestors surfed on the gorgeous waves in Hawaii and and water sings in my blood.

Imagine the joy of growing up on the West Coast, where waves crashed on rocks, sometimes strong enough to knock people over when wading in the surf. Of course Santa Cruz and other amazing surf spots are all the rage, as the call goes out, "Surfs Up" a mantra of all people who love the waves. It is a song, it hums and vibrates on every nerve, and the itch to get out there and catch that amazing wave is addictive, zen and everything that surfers dream.
When I visited the East Coast around 1998, it was July and the humidity was insane. We escaped to the Beach in New Jersey and I was stunned at the lack of waves. It was as if a bath tub had suddenly taken the oceans place, and it felt off and sort of weird. I was not sure what to do in it, swim, paddle, wade? But how, as it was too shallow and I did not have the nerve to swim too far from shore. It was alien to me, the lack of the noise that pounding water makes when it breaks upon the shore, pulling the sand and rocks, clacking and banging back into the liquid sea. And no one road a surf board.

It seems that in my life, I have for the most part preferred the less waves in my life. The emotional trauma, drama, stress and anxiety are all things I felt I could do without. After all those waves were monsters and I felt for sure that I would drown in the white hissing foam. It would feel as though I was dragged out in the dark depths, without a bottom and a current so strong I feared I would never make it back to shore.

But the Hawaiians and surfers who spend the majority of their lives on a waxed board know a secret. One must have waves in order to surf. Without them, surfing would be impossible. Sure you could paddle a canoe, or take a boat out and cruz along the glassy surface, but after a while the it will loose its allure. True we must have moments of calm, a respite to catch our breath and prepare ourselves for the next batch. There will be times that we try to stand up, only to fall into the water repeatedly. But perfecting your surfing skills, understanding the wave action, currents and how to get back on your board, would never be experienced if waves did not exist.

To put it bluntly, when waves of any type no longer exist, things are pretty much dead. You are dead when your heart flat lines, you are brain dead when the waves of brain activity no longer exist. Do we seriously wish to be dead, a zombie of sorts in the land of the living?

So what does this have to do with anything? Life is always going to be full of waves, up and downs, a heart rate, breathing, radio waves, electric waves etc all have crests and valleys. So how do you handle those up and downs, those moments of pure terror and utter awe? Surf it, hang ten, hang loose and enjoy the pure thrill of the water rushing beneath your feet.

Yeah you will fall off, that is a guarantee but your board is not far away. They leash the board to themselves for a reason, after all it is your only way back to shore eventually. But it is there, your board, your heart and mind all together in one place. The waves will rise and fall, they may not be much and you will have to sit out there a wait, but isn't that life after all. 

Do you let the drama of your life, people who irritate and piss you off, traffic, bills, lack of funds dictate how you will enjoy your day? I would most certainly hope not because seriously those are some awesome waves if you want my opinion. Would it not be easier to hang loose, laugh and smile, while you ride those breakers into shore?

So my fellow people, souls who live in this contrasting world. Find your surf board, because the surf will Always Be Up!

~Aloha