A Tale of 2 Surfers
The surfer spots the wave…gets moving….adjusts his inner rhythm….comes in strong but comfortable….fully engaged….rides the wave then to hit the shore….goes back out for another wave….its a low uninspiring one but then!…..see’s the next big wave….rides the tube……paddles back out, see’s his buddy and yells yo whats up! Waves are sick today bro! Then mid sentence hits another wave….this wave extremely large, but keeps his cool and balances on the board intuitively (something that only comes through lots of surfing) then rides it out goes for 360 and sometimes pulls it off or crashes and tumbles, gets back up….only to paddle back out again for another wave, for the waves are endless, yet the journey is one unlimited possibilities that only the surfer will personally experience and pursue.
He does not sit on the beach….watch waves…over analyze waves….. look at waves with fellow shore crystallizing surfers who then ….hop on one wave…. chat about the wave…..while the sun sets and the time has been wasted.
Some even like to judge the waves and rides of others from an unclear distance, rather than improving their own skills and overcoming the inner fears of the ocean …..that wave was only a 6 footer…..that wave a fierce 7 footer perhaps…..yet they themselves are not immersed in the water or attuned to the rhythm of the ocean…its high and low tides…..the mature surfer chooses the waves he is most inspired by or personally challenged to try out as it is indeed a personal experience between the surfer, wave, and the sea that ties them together. The mature surfer rides while enjoying the journey and each individual wave for what it is, some maybe have unique tubes and speeds and unique “feel” when you surf it. something the boys on shore playing spectator games will never quite understand.
They are still stuck on appearance of the wave from their far away distorted view point on shore rather than the actual experience of riding it up close and paddling themselves. Even if they themselves swim out to catch a big one, they will surely fall off and tumble grasping to a wave that is changing direction…. not quite understanding how to balance or ride it out. They go to shore telling the boys on the beach of the amazing wave they rode or almost caught and seek validation on the waves size to others or even themselves. But this constant effort is mentally taxing and devoid of deeper sense of satisfying fulfillment as it is superficial and not out of love for the ocean, its waves, and surfing.
And back to the drawing board they go, maybe cynical and burnt out from surfing and even may start to hate the waves as they are slammed down under the water….at mercy of the vast ocean and decide that its a problem with the ocean….or even other surfers. Meanwhile the mature surfer smiles and.chooses the next tube to spiral down, remaining calm and grounded in the chaos of the ocean to surf yet another day..
