Those dazzling back muscles, the geo-lessons, the
ability to… wait!
There’s more to surfing than just flying to
shore. All that paddling, all that waiting, all that
travel. It enriches you in ways you’ve long forgotten.
1. That back!
Most people in the gym call them lats, traps and tri’s. We just
call it paddling. Be thankful for the form surfing has given you.
You don’t even feel obligated to to the Jersey Shore with your dome
frozen with L.A. Looks gel and pumping that fist!
2. Reactions from civilians
Ever been at a party and listened to the part of the
conversation where hobbies come into play? The bland reactions to
tennis and skiing are exasperated. Like Hamlet did when he showed
his uncle “The Mousetrap,” watch the eyebrows raise and the heads
veer slightly to the right as they ask you for details
of your biggest waves and how you braved the locals in
El Salvador with a cervesa in one hand and a machete in the
other.
3. Geo-political knowledge
Your geography teacher never thought you would amount to this
and you may not realize it while you’re mesmerized by a world map
looking for surf-able coastlines. However, as you memorize main and
back roads in back countries, you’re filling your brain with
culture and knowledge. All of a sudden, you meet someone from South
Africa and they can’t believe you’re an American who knows the
difference between the N1 and Naz.
4. Patience
Waiting for the waves is like someone in cell block C waiting
for the Parole Board to stamp their papers. Patience. Patience.
Patience. This comes into life waaaaayyyyy more than you
think and realize when checking Surfline.
5. Appreciation
Ernest Hemingway would have lavish meals with all of his friends
at round tables and they would sit at the table for hours, eating
slowly and drinking Sangria. He even wrote a book called A Moveable Feast. Which has nothing to do
about eating. But it does teach us to respect, love and to savor
the things that are fleeting and fickle in our lives.
Like when wind, water and time allow us to have that perfect day
of surf.
