I had the day off work today... and so went surfing. I had no idea that Cox Bay could be that busy on a Friday in December. I had some fun rides today... lefts and rights... shoulder high.
I had been out for about an hour or so when ULTE1 said hi. I have no idea how long he had been there... and wouldn't have known it was him if he hadn't said anything. I can't tell shortboarders apart most of the time... not even if I know the shortboarder really well. This was, I know it is hard to believe, the first time I have ever been in the water with ULTE1. (Okay, except for the day we met)... it used to be that if I knew he was on the same beach (teaching, always), I would lose my ability to surf, and just give up and leave. I was a little concerned that his sitting there would make it impossible for me to surf... and for about three minutes, I was all goofy and weird. I didn't paddle for two waves that I really should have gone for... and when the third one came along, I went for it, and surfed beautifully (a peeling left) and paddled back out. I was all good again. We both surfed... watched each other surf... and seemed also to be aware of the watching. Ridiculous that, after all these years, we would for the first time be concerned with our watchability, one for the other. And this is no speculation... there were a few show-off rides out there today.
So, now, I am truly comfortable in the surf. Comfortable and confident. I had suspected for a while that I actually can surf... probably at around the same time as the BNs validation... but now I really believe it. And somehow... the ULTE1 validation seems like an even bigger deal... with more meaning. If I can surf with ULTE1, I can surf with anyone. (OOooo... it rhymes!)
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