Surfing Life Lessons

I took a surfing lesson in California because I always dreamed of being a cool California surfer chick who grabbed her board + ran out to the beach, hair blowing in the wind. Turns out I didn’t do that part. That’s only for Baywatch.

Instead, my new friend, Trudy, also known as my surf instructor, had me lay the board on the ground while she taught me about how to stand on it. What she didn’t have to mention is I would be doing this while a giant wave stormed to the shore underneath me. Small details.

In case you were wondering, here’s what I learned: you bring both knees up, then one knee forward with fingertips on the board and then you stand. Viola! She told me to “trust myself.” Trusting myself on a giant wave, a giant board and my one body.

Got it, Trudy.

The thing is, I had already committed that I was going to feel like a beginner at this lesson. I already told myself fun was number one on the agenda. In fact, I was just so proud that I said yes to something that felt like a far-off dream.

Meanwhile, Trudy and I laughed. We told stories. She would push me into a wave. I would stand on some and fall on others. When I rode the wave in all the way, I would look back at her and we both pumped our arms in the air. When I fell off, she said, “It’s okay! Let’s go again!”

During the lesson, something Trudy said was interesting. She told me that a lot of her students get so tense. They are so fixated on nailing surfing the first time. They don’t talk. They don’t laugh. They just think about the end result. Get up. Get up. Become a pro in an hour.

It makes me wonder, how many of us are so fixated on nailing whatever it is we are after? Many of us have even stopped connecting with others in our homes, building new friendships and risking being seen and known because vulnerability is a learned skill.

Instead, what if we approached our lives with the mind of a learner and the heart of a dreamer?

You don’t have to be a pro at building relationships, you just have to start. And when you ride the wave, fist pump. When you fall, try again.