Confluence

Oft times in surfing we await the intersection of

seemingly unrelated factors in order to bring us

 the greatest joy.  Think about it for a few seconds. 

We need wind, daylight, swell, and tide to all come together

for those peak experiences, those unforgettable sessions.

That doesn't mean we can't have a great day without

everything coming together exactly as we'd like.  The past few

days here in NJ have been a good example.  We had the swell

but, for the most part, not the wind.  This morning we had the

wind but not the tide.  Tonight we have the tide and wind, but not

the swell.  That's life.

Yesterday morning I had a really fun session.  Sure we had a

decent bit of swell and the tide and my schedule lined up

perfectly, but, we didn't have the wind.  What I did have was

a beautiful warm, sunny morning, the chance to surf a break

with Ray, a friend with a true aloha spirit, and 2 other strangers

who were happy just being out.  I was riding a board I love and

actually scored a few great sections.  

In surfing and in life we shouldn't need everything to come together

perfectly.  If we look at the things that do come together and make

the most of what we get we can really be happy.  Sure we hope for

that perfect confluence, that perfect coming together, but life's seldom

perfect.

Wisdom of the Wave

I don't hide the fact that I am a surfer and a waterman.

There is a Greg Noll Da Cat hanging on the wall in my

office waiting room and Surfer, ESM, and Surfrider' Making

Waves are scattered amongst the more usual magazines in the

magazine rack.  Sometimes it results in some very interesting,

and I hope beneficial, interactions with my patients.

Recently a client brought in an article they'd found in the

Sunday newspaper magazine.  It was an interview with

Laid Hamilton discussing 10 lessons about life he'd learned

from his from his life as a waterman.  I love them and over

time will write about each.

The first lesson is one about humility and vulnerability.

"Know you are (but) a speck on the water".  We really aren't that

significant in the big picture, kind of like drops in the ocean or

grains of sand on the beach.  When we begin to think too much

of our own importance we can find ourselves in trouble.  A client

told me this week that Ego can stand for 'Edging God Out".  Not a

wise thing to do.  The ocean was here long before we were and 

hopefully will be here long after we are gone. 

Surfing and life are all about learning lessons and moving on to

the next lesson without forgetting what we've learned.

Trestles and a sense of frustration

I spoke to a few friends who were at the hearings

in Del Mar on Monday, once again, opposing the

ill thought out toll road proposal.  They were very

frustrated and feeling somewhat hopeless.  Seemed

to them that these hearings were structured in a way 

that gave proponents of the toll road the upper hand.

Hum...a large corporate, money making entity getting

special treatment and being given the upper hand by the

government.  Sound familiar?  It should on a day that

congress is debating a trillion dollar bailout for large,

corporate, money making entities on Wall Street while

everyday people struggle with mortgages, the high cost

of living, and growing fears about their jobs.

What about us?  What about all the volunteers who took

off from work and gave of their time and energy to try

to stop the destruction of the last remaining open space

beach park, with a world class wave, in So Cal?  No one

paid for them to be there...unlike the orange shirted,

union construction workers in attendance.  What about the

thousands of people who surf Trestles or enjoy the park every

day?

Seems that there is a growing sense amongst many these days

that they, as everyday people, don't matter.  That sense of

frustration leads to hopelessness, depression, despair, and

anxiety about the future. I see it in my office daily. I even hear 

about it in the line-up these days.

How do you cope with those feelings? What action(s) do you 

choose to take to cope with the stressors in your life? Seems that

the best we all can do is take control of the things we can control.

Are you???  

Taking action

The 40 something surf girls are still at it!

Last week I got a call asking if they could

borrow boards.  Seems that their teacher

has stopped being so available, either by

accident or design.  This has forced them to 

take matters into their own hands.  They've had

to become more proactive and take action to

get what they want.  Enough of waiting for the

teacher.  Enough watching fun surf without a board.

They needed to surf and I have boards. 

Simple as that!

What a great life lesson.  Know what you want and don't

wait around for others to do it for you.  What's the worst

thing that can happen?  You know, you might just get what

you want.  The surf girls did.  One of my old boards sits in

one of their vans and the other is stored in a very accessible

place.  They don't even have to ask anymore.  

Oh yes, they call the shaper that they've ordered boards

from weekly hounding him about when their new boards

will be ready.  Gotta love it!

Connect and learn

Surfing has provided me with many wonderful gifts.  

Perhaps one of the greatest has been the gift of friendship.

Over the years I've met people all over the globe.  All sorts

of folks, not just surfers.  Each one different in their own 

way, each with a belief system, and point of view uniquely

their own.  Being open, listening, and trying to understand

others has helped open my eyes and at times altered my 

perspective.  

I've learned lots about, simplicity, and joy, from

my neighbors in Puerto Rico. Friends in Australia have

helped me develop more of a "no worries" philosophy.

I've learned lessons about respect and  been taught

the true meaning of Aloha from Hawaiian friends.

It sure would be nice if those running for office, as well

as their diehard supporters, could learn the lessons I've

learned from my surfing life. There are many ways to think

about life, many beliefs systems. Condemning one simply

because they are not like you, or their beliefs differ from yours

is down right stupid.  I don't believe those stuck in our

presently polarized political process have learned that yet.  

It would be wonderful if we could  try to be open, listen, try

to understand others, even a little bit.  Dial down the rhetoric,

curtail the criticism, learn some respect and aloha.  We'd all be

better of for it.

Kelly Slater

Yesterday Kelly Slater won the Boost Mobile Pro

at Trestles.  Another first place finish on this years

world tour.  Slater is setting records and performing

at a staggering pace all but wrapping up an unprecedented

9th world title.  Consider that he won his first

Trestles contest 17 years ago.

How can a 36 year old perform at such a level.  Slater

is one of the oldest surfers on the tour and he seems

to be getting better every year.  What can we observe?

What lessons can we learn from this champion.  

Clearly Kelly Slater is in amazing physical shape.  He

works at his health by watching what he eats,  stretching,

working on strengthening and endurance.  Much has been

written lately about Kelly's attitude and outlook.  He acknowledges

having worked to "let go" of pressure and trying to view

his surfing with a more playful attitude.  Winning is no longer

a life or death mission.  It never should have been, it's surfing.

No surprise either is that Kelly is connecting with the world

in a different way.  This year he, along with  my friend Dr. Dorian

Paskowitz, brought surfboards to Palestine.  They saw surfing as

having the potential to connect with something larger.

Kelly Slater may have a few things to teach us about surfing and

about how life can impact surfing.

Surfed out

East coasters do not generally know how to pace

themselves when there are waves.  After 2 great days

of  overhead surf, courtesy of Hanna, some people are actually 

saying that they are "surfed out". What exactly do

they mean? What are the symptoms of being "surfed out"?

I think it's the sore muscles from surfing 6-8 hours per

day for 2 days straight combined with the euphoric state of

mind.  Maybe it's the state of physical exhaustion complicated

by mental well being and an intense desire for more.  This

state might be caused by poor conditioning, overzealousness, or

simply an odd mentality that east coasters seem to have.  We 

are gluttons and when we get waves we gorge.  We can't pace ourselves

very well.

Poor health habits, gluttony, gorging, and an inability to pace ones self.

Habits that surely can get you in trouble.  No more time to write I've got

to stretch and get back in the water.  No telling what tomorrow will bring.

All I know is that the water and air are warm and the surf pumping.  Do I

sound like an addict?  Hum...wonder if there is a 12 step program I should

look in to?

This worrying will kill me

There is an interesting trailer for the upcoming remake/update

of the movie "Surfer's" on the Billabong web site.  It's pretty

cool that the movie has been updated.  Watching  Dora, Greg Noll,

both the young and older Kelly Slater, and others talk about surfing

is classic.  One comment Tom Curren made really struck me.  Curren

said that "especially when it (the surf) is dangerous you can avoid

getting hurt by just going for it".

A client of mine reflectively said to me in a session the other day 

"this worrying is going to kill me".  How right he is.  I'm sure we all

have found ourselves in a situation where we could either be paralyzed

by worry or go for it.  Whether it has been pushing over the ledge of a

big, scary, steep wave or deciding to leave a job or marriage.  Curren's

advice seems pretty on target to me..."you can avoid getting hurt by just going

for it".  Too much worry or hesitation can kill you.  Going for it, as long as

we trust ourselves, our instincts, and our skills, is usually much better than worrying.

The good the bad and the ugly

Red Jelly fish are ugly, they sting and they are

a bad sign for the oceans health.

Large algae blooms are ugly and indicators

of an ocean that isn't in the best of health.

Head high waves with offshore winds and warm water

are good things for those of us who surf. 

Mix the three together and you literally get the good,

the bad, and the ugly.  That probably best sums up Labor Day

2008 along the northern NJ coast.

I wonder how many surfers realized that the algae and the

red jellies were warnings?  I know lots of folks who got

stung and many others whose sessions ended earlier than

they'd have liked due to the jellies and algae.  Sure lots of

people commented but how many have actually stepped up to

do something?  How many have linked their lifestyle to

our planets deteriorating condition.

Personal health and well being are a lot like yesterday.  People

complain, see warning signs, get stung, but do they accept the

challenge and take personal responsibility?  We each should.

Our lives, our health, and our ocean depends on it.