Surfing: The Struggle is Real

I’m definitely not a beginner anymore. I’m also definitely not very good. Not everything needs to be labeled, but right now it’s fair to say I’m a Struggling Surfer. A good friend once talked about the ‘pit of despair’ in careers … her point was we all have them, and there is always light on the other side. We emerge from these low points. This no doubt applies to my surfing right now ;) and I just have to believe I will emerge!!! But the thing about surfing is it’s a lot more than the fleeting moments when you stand on the board. It’s the journey to the break. It’s being in the ocean. It’s the paddling. It’s the moments in between. It’s also the quiet in your head because, for me at least, surfing demands presence.

There’s a surf break a 5 minute boat ride from our place. We went a couple of times. My first session I was in the pit. My second session sucked less. The first morning I soaked up the morning views waiting for the tide to rise just enough for the boat to depart.

Sitting on our deck I watched the activity on the nearby island. Saw one person walking across (first photo below, look closely). Saw a small boat taking a bunch of … I’m sure it was taking kids to the school bus. It was the school boat (second photo below)!! These pics also show a good view of the cable running to the island bringing electricity. The poles are cement.

This bird kept me company on the jetty waiting for the boat … until it didn’t.

I got views of the mangroves and rainbows as we headed out on the boat. The point of sharing all these moments is to say my struggles have a beautiful backdrop :)

Nothing better than surfing with J.

Will continues to put in the swim training for camp. I was the safety SUP and photographer :) Love seeing this kid getting after it. Summer camp is around the corner. It is one of Will’s favorite places on earth.

I SUP’ed around the nearby island again. I saw several flying fish. Normally I’d be more surprised but we’re staying at the Flying Fish Villa. I had to battle a fierce wind to get over there and looked forward to coasting in the wind shadow before my return. On the backside of the island there were four Fijian guys hanging out in a boat on the shore, a panga to be precise. “Bula, bula, bula … “ hello’s all around. “Come say Hi”. So I did. I figured it was a fleeting opportunity for one of the last cultural interactions of the trip. Indeed. They were very happy. They laughed hard at mildly funny things I said. I told them about the song “I’m on a boat” and I tried to sing it which they found hysterical. Then they tried to sing it which I found hysterical. I was offered rum + fresh coconut served in shot glasses from a huge jug. Declined. I was offered the world’s skinniest cigarette. It would make a pencil look fat. Rolled fresh with stuff grown and dried on the island. Declined. This was no doubt good living Fijian style. They all live on the island and confirmed it was the school boat I saw in the morning. Also confirmed the electricity poles have never gone down in a storm (“full concrete!!!”). And so concluded my authentic island village tour ;) Here’s a picture of the island village from shore, a radically different angle than the view from our deck. We walked to the end of this road on … gulp … the very last night of our trip around the world. It had to end after all.

There were a few houses and animals on the shore side. And pigs. The Fijian family at the base of our hill did a traditional in-ground bake fest today, middle picture below.

At dinner we had the most fascinating conversation about masculinity. It was a realization that most places we’ve been haven’t had this dominant loud macho male stereotype. It’s refreshing and I will miss it. There were a few macho dudes from macho countries on the river tubing trip and it was jarring. Sure I will bash the patriarchy all day long but I also feel bad for guys, sometimes. The male ideal can be narrow. A documentary I saw years ago called ‘The Mask You Live In’ explored this problem and awakened me to the idea that boys and men struggle too ;)