you know what they say about life…read more
no one's getting out of here alive. so might as well hurl yourself, head first.
easy to say, hard philosophy to follow. most folks, as they get older-- either become more set in their ways (fear, judgment, insecurity, anger), or set on becoming better (more laughter, more wine, more empathy).
but once in a while we get so caught up on social networks, jobs, ego, etc, that we need a little reminder. of how small we really, truly are. my remedy?
mother nature.
take any hard, fast talking, angeleno and drop them in the middle of an ocean. i'll bet money at the end of the day, guy will have chilled the hell out.
now HK didn't do that to me, thank god.
after years of debating, i finally booked a one on one surf lesson. having almost drowned a couple of times as a kid, i was a bit squirrley about going into the ocean. i mean, it's the OCEAN. no clean chlorine sheen, no grumpy swimmers, just water and earth.
he was extremely patient with me, and did a very thorough prep work, going over safety tips, and overall basics of surfing at the shop. after that, we drove over to the water. we stayed in the white water, and he kept helping me go at it again and again, until i stood up (ish).
i have to say, actually being in a the water is a completely jarring experience. i wiped out about 13 times minimum (as HK told me "you WILL wipeout"), and after the 12th time, i got used to the hammering of the ocean, and started to loosen up a bit. HK was extremely supportive, and damn, he's probably the best motivational speaker i've ever come across. he explained that you have to believe that you'll catch the wave, and make it your own. how can you NOT love the guy? or surfers in general.
if you're a first time newbie like me, i highly suggest you do the one on one, you'll be more comfortable and HK will take care of you. this is a fantastic family run business, and after i grow a pair, i think i'll go try to the hit the waves again soon.
head first.
