September 22, 2004
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Surfing
Life should be like surfing. Not web surfing, but real ocean surfing. You look for the right conditions, paddle like crazy to get there, hope to catch the killer wave, and test your balance as you ride it out.
What’s the sense in paddling somewhere if there’s no wave to catch? Then you’ve just wasted a lot of effort going from one patch of still water to another. Better to float on your surfboard and keep your eyes open.
Comments (14)
I sense you are saying sommething deep in that 2nd para, but I need some help!
Maybe the risk-adversed would rather not catch the killer wave in case they fall, break an arm, or worse yet, get bitten by a shark.
Maybe some people like sitting on calm water because life is more enjoyable that way.
Or, perhaps some people just like the feeling of “going somewhere”, even if it doesn’t land a big wave. Maybe they get restless by just constantly looking.
nice interpretation. i kinda understood the “paddling like crazy” part of this elaborate metaphor
but the 2nd para is mysterious. maybe it would make things more obvious for dense people to throw in some desert mirage metaphors
surfing!!! i wanna surf!
the thing is, you gotta learn how to read the waves. you gotta get out there and follow a few swells to figure out where the break is. you might waste some effort, but the paddling will make you strong and you’ll know better what you’re looking for.
swells and breaks. read the waves. very nice
i wish we could just say there are two magnets
CB: I am just espousing my philosophy of life, that’s all. I hate paddling if I think it’s going to be wasted. That is, if I think the potential upside is too low. I’d rather wait for a better oppotunity to come along. Picky, I know…
CL: I am a monster paddler already. Developed those monster muscles by chasing lots of waves… I think I’m at a stage of life where I’m bored by smaller waves. There are bigger fish to fry.
JGLC: I am restless by looking, too. Restless, restless!
Wow, I didn’t know you surfed Ed! Was this from your California days? Lemme know if you’re ever out in Hawaii and up for a surf.
Here are some attempts to look at more life lessons-learned from surfing:
Even on a flatter day, it is still sometimes fun to paddle out there – usually not as crowded as days with a good swell, and when a wave does finally come, though it is smaller and less often, you don’t have to worry about bumping into the other surfers, or about dropping in on someone else’s wave, or fending off those who might drop in on your wave.
Or just get a nice big longboard and you can have a good time even on the tiny waves that shortboarders and mini-tankers have to “paddle like crazy” to even attempt to catch, and you’ll have a much easier time paddling back out there afterwards.
Even if no worthwhile waves come though, it is fun to just “talk story” with the other surfers out there. Just being out there in the ocean gets you away from the hustle bustle normal life – lets you take a moment to appreciate God’s creation more as look at the horizons and skylines from where you sit out in the water.
From my experience, you can’t be 100% certain that there’s no wave to catch until afterwards. It unpredictable enough that you never know exactly what’s going to come rolling in along the horizon even in 5 minutes. Sometimes it is just a game of patience – waiting for the set to roll in on a flat day. And as soon as you give up and paddle halfway to shore, the best set of the day rolls on in while you’re too far on the inside.
Hard as it may be for some folks, one just gotta shift focus sometimes from always having to accomplish something bigger/cooler to just enjoying the moment as it is and appreciating it.
Now if only there was a waterproof/shockproof/floating MP3 player you can listen to out there while waiting for the waves…
Hey Andy. Good thoughts, thanks.
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Ooopppsss. Xanga cannot show Chinese characters.
I can’t read Chinese characters, either. =)
hey changed, so are we going to get a book review/reflection on that career book? i’m a nagger.
Sure, I’ll write a bit soon. Probably not what you expect.
even better dude
let’s go out for a beer sometime!