Spring might be here

The calendar tells me that April is almost over and that May
 is but a few days away.  We keep getting teased with the
weather. One day it is sunny and almost warm enough to
wear flip flops and shorts, the next day it's back to fleece and socks.
The ocean is very slowly warming. It might actually make it to 50
in the next few days!

I actually was able to surf without a hood today!  Small pleasures
abound. I could hear the sounds without the neoprene filter.  I could
have a conversation without speaking in a loud voice.  I could feel
the sun warming my face.  As wonderful as these little things are I still
find myself impatient, I want more. Guess that's not uncommon for us
all. We often want more quicker and forget that as the old saying goes
"all good things come to those who wait".  Waiting can be really hard.

I've been lucky enough to surf a lot this winter in the warm waters of
Rincon PR.  My trips there help me stay out of the cold water and the
dreaded (for me) 5 mil wetsuit, boots, gloves, and hood.  Every spring
upon my return I have to put the suit on if I want to surf.  I have to
endure the extra weight, the slowness that a 5 mil forces on us all.
Someone today was thrilled. They had on a 4 mil without a hood.
"feels almost like board shorts" he said. So great.

Being patient looking for the little victories and enduring some of the
difficulties just might be a great way to look at life. Certainly is a way
to look at spring. Guess I have to enjoy it and not wish my spring away,
not jones for summer, and appreciate the little things.

Knowing when to go

Have you ever sat on the beach looking at the waves trying to decide
whether to go out or not?  I'm sure, if you are like me, you've done it.
Can't quite decide if it's worth it or not, not quite sure you want to go
through the hassle of putting on a wet suit, rushing for a quick session
before work or during lunch, getting in trouble with your boss or wife.
Not sure if conditions are right? You watch, ask others but get all
sorts of answers.

Bet the same indecisiveness has happened in the water as well.
You see a wave coming but you are not quite sure. Should I
paddle for this one?  Should I go? Is it going to hold up, is it too
big or too small?  Surfing, like the rest of our lives, is filled with
opportunities, filled with decisions.  How do you decide?
What goes into your process?

I wish there was a quick and simple guide to making the
decisions we make in and out of the water.  I know that there
are lots of factors that influence what we do. Sometimes we
try to assess the risk. Are  we surfing over a shallow jagged reef
or soft forgiving sand?  Is the water 80 degrees or 40?  Are we at
our familiar local break or half way around the world surfing some
isolated unexplored atoll? Could be we might simply be afraid to get
out of our comfort zone, scared to confront the known or unknown.
It might just be a habit, a learned behavior, doing the same thing over
and over, repeating, accepting and maybe even enjoying the pattern.
Sometimes though these behavior patterns might just get us in trouble.

In surfing, like in life, it's really important to understand why and
how we do things. It's not an easy process but confronting
ourselves, our  habits, our vulnerabilities and strengths, as well as
our habitual behaviors is critical.  We need to be able to look
inward, accept responsibility, figure out what we can control and
what we can't, whether to blame other factors or accept
responsibility, ownership. We all wish that there was some
objective expert who could act as a referee, an impartial judge to
help us see more clearly, see the facts,  post the scores and help
us see the consequences,  Sadly, all too often there aren't.
We have to find a balance between our gut and our brain, our
feelings and the facts.  Unfortunately it's not always easy.

Every surfer has heard that "Eddie would go"!  Would you go,
should you go, do you know why or why not?  Not always a
simple question to answer.  At times we just paddle out, go
hard, take the drop, and see what happens. Sometimes we wisely
decide to back off. In difficult times and in really challenging
conditions, sometimes I wish I knew for certain when to go.

Another new year

I missed it today.  No, the surf wasn't really that good. 

It was actually pretty cold with the water in the high 40's

and the air temperature in the low 30's.  The skies were

rather grey and overcast, a norm for New Jersey winters.

The surf was micro maybe knee high at best but the offshore

wind and the post-superstorm Sandy sandbars made for, as my

friend Rick calles them, "perfect little peelers".  I didn't go out.

I didn't respond to my buddy Tim's text.  He was "heading in for a

New Year paddle".  I probably should have gone. Would have

started the new year off on a nice note.  

I find with each passing year I need more and more of an internal

push to put on the 5 mil and get wet. That's especially true when

the skies are grey.  I know I would have had fun today on those

"perfect little peelers" but I didn't go.  Obviously I'm having second 

thoughts.  Maybe it's the trip I have planned in a few weeks to my

place in Puerto Rico?  Seems the more time I spend in Rincon between

November and April the less motivated I am to surf in New Jersey.

I rationalize really well.  I sure could use a new 5 mil but the cost of a

5 mil equals the price of a flight.  New winter wet suit or another trip

to warm water?

I know I'll eventually have to break down and get in the cold water

again. What other choice do I have?  Maybe it's a fantasy or dream I've

been having as I get older.  Why buy a new winter coat or 5 mil? Maybe

next winter I'll spend it all in Puerto Rico?

Thin the Quiver, Simplify your life

Recently I decided it was time to clean the old blackened wax off all the boards in my quiver.  I'm not the best when it comes to keeping on top that job. I'm no where near as conscientious as one of my best friends. He strips the wax,  cleans his boards, and puts on a fresh coat in anticipation of every new swell. It's all part of his process I guess. All part of building anticipation and getting stoked for what might be coming.  I've been a bit remiss. I never really know exactly which board I'm going to feel like riding. I've got lots of options.

As I cleaned off my boards I realized that there were two I'd not ridden in quite a long time. I wondered why was I keeping them?  Sure they were great boards, barely used, but why was I holding on to them? After thinking for a while I made the decision...it was time to thin out my quiver, sell what I've not been riding.  Like lots of people I know letting go of stuff is not always an easy task.  I felt pretty happy and confident with my decision.

It didn't take but a few days to get a response to my Craigslist ad.  I gave the potential buyer directions to my house and contemplated just how much I was willing to take for the boards.  In a matter of seconds after I'd hung up the phone a bit of doubt and remorse began to sneak into my psyche.  Did I really want to part with these boards?  They were pretty mint and I did enjoy the few times I'd ridden them.  Session memories flashed through my head.  I'd had a particularly good session on one of the boards at Domes in Puerto Rico.  As all surfers can do, remembered one particular wave.  Same for the other board, it was an overhead day in Asbury Park at a spot with steep take offs and a killer barrel section. Memories brought doubts. What was I  going to do?  Maybe I'll keep them I thought.  Maybe the potential buyer will balk at my bottom line price and I surely didn't want to give the boards away   That didn't happen at all. The happy buyer barely made a counter offer and within minutes my boards were gone.  I watched as the truck left the boards stacked neatly inside. There I stood a bit forlorn, with a fist full of cash. Exactly enough to buy the Christinsen Osprey I'd  recently fondled,  I thought. Humm, I could just hop into the car, drive to the shop and pick it up. That was my initial impulse, but something came over me. Nah, I thought, wait. You don't really need another board.

In the days that have followed I'm becoming more and more comfortable with the idea that I will just keep the cash.  No need for a new board now.  I have an ample quiver.  Picking a board for the next swell may, in fact, be a bit easier with two less to choose from.  I'll get more of chance to ride what I have, might even get them more dialed in.  I like that idea! Simplify my life, be grateful for what I have and enjoy it more.  Not a bad life lesson.  What's your quiver like? What are you holding on to that you really don't need?

Why do we keep doing it?

Had an interesting conversation while surfing the other day.

A guy I haven't seen in years paddled over to me and recognized

me. Like me, he has been surfing a long long time. In fact, when

he asked me how long I've been surfing, for the first time ever I

said 50 years. Oh my God 50 years! There is absolutely nothing

else in my life I can say I've been doing 50 years and still feel

stoked to do.

What is it about surfing that keeps us so obsessed? My friend and

I tried to exchange theories. Perhaps it's the absolute "in the moment"

nature of riding a wave. No past, no future, no thoughts about chores,

no anxieties about the future, no regrets about the past. It's totally

about surfing that wave at that moment. Maybe it's the beauty we

get to see sitting in the ocean, tuned in to nature and the cycles of the planet?

Perhaps it's the peace we get from surfing. How often have you felt

lousy or been in a foul mood than gone for a surf and come out feeling better?

Mind, body, spirit, all ties together.

To non surfers it must look pretty repetitive. Ride a wave, paddle back,

catch a wave and repeat over and over again. Yet even non surfers seem

to love watching.

A perfectly lined up set wave approached and our conversation ended.

Cycles and Lessons

It might seem odd to state the obvious, life goes on. Each day

the sun comes up, the tide changes, and the sun goes down. We

all know that we'll have periods of surf and flat spells, good offshore

winds and winds that aren't cooperative. We'll surf small waves as

well as big waves. Unless you live in a tropical place the water

temperature will go up and down. That's just the way it is and will

always be.

What can we learn from the cycles of our lives as surfers? Are you open

to looking? Everything changes. Some changes are good, and some bad,

for nothing stays the same. We often go through our surf lives with the

support of the same people. How long have you surfed with the same

crew? How many waves have you shared? How many swells have

you experienced together? How many life events have you all experienced

together?

As you begin 2012, another year, take a moment to appreciate the cycles.

Relish the friendships. Learn the lessons. A noted wise man once said that

there are 2 things we can use the past for; to learn lessons, and remember

the good things. Let that guide you as you surf the waves of another year.

Stay healthy, happy, and at peace.

Gratitude

What a wonderful morning, in fact it was a pretty

wonderful weekend. I got to surf a fish, longboard and

SUP, spend time with friends and family, and enjoy a

nice surf related event. I am very grateful to be able

to enjoy life.

Being grateful has the power to make a difference. A week

or so ago I had a big gap in my work schedule and headed out

for a surf. After being in what was pretty ordinary surf for

a while the wind went offshore and the swell, courtesy of

a hurricane, began to grow. Each set was bigger than the one

before. I was riding my shortboard and having a blast, then

I looked at my watch. Bummer, I thought, just as the waves

are getting really good I have to go back to work. I'm sure you've

been there, ready to be frustrated and a little mad about

leaving pumping surf. That's when it hit me. Be grateful that

you were able to surf at all I thought. Be grateful not angry.

My mood and outlook changed instantly.

Being grateful for what you have rather than focusing on what

you don't have or missed out on is a strategy that instantly

creates peace. Try it. Enjoy the wave you ride rather then the

set wave you missed. Enjoy the time you spent in the water

rather than be frustrated at having to leave. Give it a shot!