Inspired - a pity party averted.
Posted on Sep 21 2006
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Hola surf chicas.

Just wanted to share a little something with you. Went out to C street early this am with my dude surf buddy. I was having a rough time of it, mentally. I was getting really frustrated because I felt like I just am stuck! Don't seem to be improving at all, maybe even getting worse.....usually, I can just keep on keeping on because I'm having so much fun that I can change my focus and keep my stoke. But not today, my surfin spirit was low.

Told my friend to keep surfing and I went in to shore where I actually sat down and started sniffling, feeling sorry for my lame ass self. A woman with long gray hair was walking her little dog and came up and sat down next to me and started chatting with me. She told me how she didn't even start learing to surf until she was 47 years old! And it took a good year of going every damn day till she was standing up more often than not. She told me about all of the things that went through her head, and so many of them were things that I was experiencing - plateaus, self-defeating mental conversations, fear of waves, etc. We talked about how the challenges of surfing are so metaphorical for what we go through in life and it really did click for me.

So, I stopped sniffling by the time my friend got to shore (whew! don't want him to see me crying like a girl!). My stoke was restored. I wasn't my usual jumping up and down stoked, but really thinking about what she'd said and how this lovely surf sister had generously encouraged and inspired me. To know that she didn't even start surfing until she was 47 just really gave me hope that I can and WILL do this! I also was reminded of how important the surf sisterhood is to me, although I will admit that I like having a boy carry Rosie from time to time : ) Your encouragement and successes in surfing keep me going.

So have a great weekend, amigas!

Ventura Vixen out!

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