The Miracle of Mindfulness

Years ago, during a late-night chat in the seedy Cambie Hotel bar, Csaba suggested that I read The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nat Han. He wrote the title and author down on a beer-dampened coaster and handed it to me.

I did end up reading the book... but for a long while, it had been the last of its kind. Perhaps it was because the message of mindfulness was not contaminated by other similar thoughts of its kind that I was able to truly absorb its significance. The very simple idea of being mindful stuck with me... and eventually turned into the maxim "You cannot fault people for their limitations."

You cannot fault people for their limitations, nor can I fault myself for my limitations. The only difference with my own limitations is that I can remove them, slowly and deliberately. Last night, I paddled out at the corner at Cox Bay. It took me thirty minutes of solid paddling to get out. Wave after wave pushed me to shore, and I kept fighting my way out. During every other surf session of my entire life, I gave up under those conditions long before I hit the 15 minute mark. Yesterday, I paddled relentlessly for 30 minutes. When I got out past the break, the glassy swells were the prettiest I had ever seen... and as it turns out... it was overhead... which is a whole lot bigger than what I've gotten used to in the last two weeks. I caught one good ride on the green, and decided that it was a great surf day. The rest of the session involved me fighting my way back out once more (15 to 20 minutes of paddling out), catching a wave that closed out, and deciding that that was enough.

Limitations change. I change my limitations.

And the limitation of others-- I am actively (and I mean very actively, every day now) learning to accept with more mindfulness.

The wind seems to have picked up today. I cannot go surfing all the time. And as I'm certainly not planning on sitting around waiting for some guy to call who may not... I am going to do my first deep dive tomorrow morning. I'll be going to 100ft... focus is not optional.