THREE THINGS I LEARNED ABOUT SURFING, AND LIFE, FROM ATTEMPTING TO SURF FOR 30 DAYS STRAIGHT.
As you may well be aware of, this past September I joined the SurfAid #MakeaWave Challenge where I attempted to surf for 30 days straight as a way to raise awareness and funding for the SurfAid Programs that bring healthcare, clean drinking water, and food security to communities in remote surfing destinations.
This challenge resonated with me because I’ve had the privilege to travel to some insanely beautiful, wave-rich, and also very remote, parts of the world and this felt like a small yet meaningful way for me to give back to these communities that are so kind & welcoming to us surfers; Places where I’ve experienced some unforgettable moments and gained lifelong memories & friends. And while this challenge was more about the communities being supported and less about me, I still feel like I came out of it with a refreshed perspective on both surfing and life.
Before I dive in any further, I first want to share that my community (you all) showed up BIG for me! Thank you so much to everyone who supported, shared, and made a donation to SurfAid for team Sunburnt & Salty. By the end of the month, I was only $83 away from my goal of raising $500 and that’s seriously SO amazing. (Side note: Fundraising is staying open until October 15th if you have a little extra to give and feel called to support by making a tax-deductible donation, you can do so here!).
Personally, I ended up logging 21 sessions over the 30 days that make up the month of September. An ear infection that set in the day after my birthday kept me out of the water for the final five days of the month, and those other four days, well, that was due to a combination of travel, jet lag, and a few days of big swell mixed with funky winds…
Which brings me to my first takeaway, and that’s:
There will always be excuses.
“I’m too tired. The wind’s not right. The swell angle is wrong. It’s too small, too big, too crowded. I have too much to do.” Any of those sound familiar? And while some excuses may be valid, like a super gnarly ear infection, most of the time our excuses are honestly just a bunch of bullsh*t. It’s our mind trying to trick us into playing small (Yea, I said it!).
Now, this isn’t to say that you should paddle out in surf that exceeds your skill level or put yourself into a potentially dangerous situation just to catch a wave (again some reasons have their validity), but what I learned from this Challenge is that if you commit to something — and not just surfing, if you want anything bad enough — then you find a way to make it work. You keep showing up, even if the conditions aren’t perfect, and especially when the excuses want to hold you back.
Plus, I never found myself regretting the decision to just paddle out. In fact, it seemed like the days that the waves appeared to be subpar, I always ended up having the most fun.
And this leads me to my second takeaway:
Letting go of expectations creates way more space for possibility and for play.
I definitely noticed that on the days that the waves were pumping (and this September in PR was one for the books!) I had a tendency to paddle out with pretty high expectations. It was kind of like, since the waves looked good I felt like I had to surf good and expected myself to get a bunch of really good rides. And as surfers, we all know that that’s not always the case.
Especially with long-period ground swells and busy lineups, sometimes, a lot of times, you have to sit and wait. And sometimes, on those “good” days, you only get a dig at a couple of waves the whole session. And sometimes, a lot of times, you just don’t surf as “good” as you think you should.
And it was usually those sessions when the waves were “pumping,” that I’d come in, always stoked I paddled out, but also a little bummed that I didn’t get the waves I wanted or do the things that I expected myself to do. It was a noticeable contrast to the times that I paddle out “just because,” with little to no expectations, and ended up having way more fun than I thought I would.
And this made me realize how often I, and maybe we all, do this in life as well. It’s like before something even happens we paint these pictures in our heads of how we think it should be, or how we think the other person should react, or how we think we should feel, or how we think we should show up — you get the idea — instead of just showing up as we are and letting things be as they are.
I’m learning that expectations bring with them a lot of restrictions and, oftentimes, a lot of disappointment. Surfing, and life, are both much, much more enjoyable when we allow ourselves to drop the ridiculous expectations that we set and allow ourselves to just embrace each moment and experience for what it is.
And this walks me nicely into my third & final takeaway, and that’s:
It’s not a waste of time to make time for the things that help you feel connected & that bring you joy.
Surfing is often regarded as a “selfish sport,” and while that statement may hold a lot of truth, I would also like to add a counterpoint. I know I’m not alone when I say that surfing has a way of recharging my spirit. It’s so much more than just a sport, and I think most surfers would probably agree.
The majority of the time, I find myself exiting the water feeling better than I did when I first paddled out. Surfing has a way of reminding me (again, maybe us all as surfers) how good life is. It has the potential to unlock deep gratitude and unleash radiant joy. Similar to yoga, I’m usually in a much better mood after a surf. I tend to be friendlier, more outgoing, and more patient with others. I usually don’t mind doing work or the boring household chores if I’ve already caught a few waves. Surfing, for me, provides a high that lasts all day.
And maybe you’re not a surfer and that’s OK. There are a lot of activities that offer that positive and all-natural high: Yoga, gardening, painting, writing, knitting, running, walking your dog, CrossFit… Whatever it is that recharges your spirit, reconnects you to the beauty of living, and infuses you with gratitude & joy — not only is that a gift to yourself, but the way I see it is, it’s also a gift to the world around you, too. Both gratitude and joy are extremely positive qualities for our own mental, physical, and emotional well-being, and these qualities also have a way of magnifying and uplifting the people around us, too.
Because we all know that what the world needs most is people who are a little friendlier, a little more patient, a little more gracious, and a little more joyful. As we make these commitments to our practices & passions that keep our cups full, we realize that then provide us with even more to share and to give
Like a ripple in the sea that can lead to big waves around the world.