Breathe in, Breathe out, Move on

I surfed this morning and it actually felt like a

warm sunny spring day.  April here in NJ isn't

always like that it is generally chillier than we'd like,

grayer than we'd hope, and wetter than we want. 

This year has been no exception as

we really have had our share of chilly April showers. 

Not today,  today we've got sun, warmth and waves

On my way to the line-up I passed a friend of mine,

a chiropractor by profession.  We greeted each other

with a smile and a knowing nod.  Robert (the chiropractor)

had posted a simple message on his facebook page a few

days ago.  The post was headed something like 3 simple rules for 

living.  The rules were; 1) breathe in, 2) breathe out, 3) repeat.

It reminded me of a Jimmy Buffet lyric "Breathe in,

breathe out, move on".

As our session went on I kept thinking about those simple

rules and realized a few more.  Surfing does make you think

sometimes.  A simple rule of surfing is stay in the moment and

go with what the wave gives you.  Today, with the swell angle not

being ideal, that rule was key.  Sometimes the lefts would wedge

up and you could find a tight little barrel.  At other times there was

a fun right with a nice little bowl.  Every once in a while a 

lined up right wall would appear.  We had fun with them all.

Taking what mother ocean gave us.

 I paddled in recalling  another simple rule, be grateful for what

 you have. I left the beach with a smile on my face and a song in

my head, "Breathe in, Breathe out, Move on".  Thanks Jimmy,

thanks Robert for the reminder.

Shark

About a week or so ago the body of a 4 1/2 foot

Mako shark showed up on the beach.  How this

particular shark found its' way to the beach is a

bit of a mystery and it is curious just how much

interest and emotion the shark arrival has created.

For some surfers there were the initial unsettling 

feelings. "I've surfed that break since I was a kid

and never really thought about a big shark being there,

kinda freaks me out" one said.  "I saw the shark and

got an uneasy feeling in my stomach" said one of

the 40 something surf girls who has, in fact,

only recently overcome a fear of the ocean.

For other folks the shark mystery brought on

feelings of sadness and anger.  Mako sharks don't

usually live in 43 degree water.  How did this one

get here.  The shark had its' fin, jaw and teeth intact but

had been gutted.  Who would do such a thing to a shark?

Some blame the death on commercial fisherman, their 

large nets and their propensity to kill fish in a thoughtless

way.  The ocean, according to many experts, has lost 90%

of it's large species.  It is rapidly being depleted as a food

source thanks to thoughtless fishing and human abuse.

So many thoughts and feelings from a single shark.  Each day,

as it rots on the beach, it becomes more of a symbol.  For most

the fear is gone replaced by questions and stark realities about

what we have done to the oceans, the planet, and to ourselves.  It

is now more a symbol of sadness and a different kind of fear.

 

Here today gone tomorrow

Yesterday was one of the better surf days in

a while.  The wind was strong, about 25 mph

sustained, blowing offshore.  The swell was in

the chest to head high range and there was no 

shortage of wedging peaks and decent barrels. 

Even in a 5 mil wetsuit it was a 2 session day.

Today the wind backed off a bit, the sun was bright

and the sky a clear blue.  A beautiful spring day but

the swell was gone.  Ankle to knee high peeling waves

greeted us this morning and kept me thinking about

what a difference a day can make.  Here yesterday, gone

today.  I'm stoked I got to enjoy the day yesterday, to

take advantage of the moment(s) while they lasted.

Life is certainly like our waves.  What a difference a

day, an hour, a few seconds can make. So much in 

our lives are like  the oceans waves, here today and

gone tomorrow.  A good job one day, gone the next.

A pile of assets one day, gone the next (or for many, what

seems like the next).  Many things seem as if they are

here today gone tomorrow.  So what do you learn from

this basic reality?  Yesterday I surfed, today I relished

the time I spent with friends and family.  I know that

in life as in surfing things change quickly.