Accepting our place in the lineup

Sadly we all reach a time where we must accept our place
in the lineup.  We each must come to confronting our realities.

I recently watched the ASP Fiji contest.  Like many, I continue to
be an avid Kelly Slater fan.  I so much want him to win another title
and then retire with grace dignity and honor.  Tavarua, a place where
Slater has been the undisputed master for decades, looked to be the contest
that would help move him to the #1 ranking.  As we know - it wasn't
to be. Kelly looked like a mortal surfing in his quarter final heat. He made
errors, couldn't quite get into a groove, even tried to switch boards in an
effort to find what he once had.  I'm not saying that the greatest contest
surfer of all time is done. What I am saying is that at some point we all
face the reality that things have changed.

Look at your local lineup.  Those who once were the hottest groms
have aged a bit.  They still surf really well but there is a new crop
catching everyone's eye.  The older masters still are out, still have
their flashes of brilliance, but it's clear that their skills are slipping a
bit, that they are no longer the surfer's that everyone is watching.

In each of our lives there comes a point where we must face certain realities.
We must accept that things are not what they once were.  For many it's
heartbreaking, difficult to accept an end of an era, difficult to accept a new
place in the lineup.  So what can we do about accepting the changes in
our lives? What can we do when dreams fade? Probably not much…sure
we can despair a bit, but ultimately we have to move on, accept what
we can't change, accept our new position, our new status.

I really want to see Kelly win #12. I really want to see him get his chance.
Guess that's true for us all. Do we keep struggling for that chance or do we
strive to accept what we find  difficult or near impossible to change?