Go!
I used to have a friend down the block who gave me that extra push, the cheery text I needed at 6:30 am to suit up when it was still chilly, and the thought of pulling a 5’4 over my weak, winter body had me hesitating and rationalising the, nah. The boots, whatever. The gloves… UGH. “Just for an hour,” She’d say and pump up the positive talk. And we’d stay for two.
That is no more, and now it’s all up to me to get myself in the water. And you know what? That’s how it should be. I want to show up and shred for myself!
I got in this week, with mostly clean, rolling three-foot peelers. Still winter-weak, yet the sessions were fantastic. Not because I caught a ton of waves, but because surfing wakes up my body. I have that good sore feeling. Strength is building. Surfing wakes up my mind too. It connects me to nature; I need that. And it’s so fun! There was that long right at 92 also!
PSA, it’s not cold anymore. That’s my “big” prob with winter surfing. I’m always so cold. We’re past that now. The water is essentially the same temperature as the air, 45–50 degrees, and with the padding of the wetsuit, you might even feel warm. I see hoods off. It’s only going to get warmer.
While I was on a surfing trip in El Salvador this past February, I realized I might not ever read a book again. I know. If I can’t pick up the pages on vacation, it’s hard to imagine when I will. So I got home and downloaded Audible. I’m obsessed! My brain feels fed. And guess what? I’m “reading” Rockaway by Diane Cardwell.
Writing and surfing, here we are. I’ve noticed how Diane tells her story, weaving the past and present together. It’s nonlinear, and that’s partly what makes her book engaging. I want to figure out how to do that! What’s interesting and a little cosmic eerie is learning about my neighbor’s path to Rockaway and surfing, and how the surfing part mirrors in ways my own surfing journey. I’m halfway through, it’s great. And the book is a motivational push to paddle out!
Go, get in the water!
If you need surfing inspo, read Rockaway by Diane Cardwell, and I have a few musings of my surfing adventures here. Find me on the boardwalk with my board, Instagram: @theglorifiedtomato.
