A big part of my life since quiting my job has been surfing. I started surfing about 5 years ago and absolutely love it. I might not be able to get rich from it, but surfing is something that I can do to turn down the noise of anything wrong in my life.

I wax my board and change into my wetsuit. The sand is hot under my feet and the sun warms my face. Just as I began to sweat in my wetsuit, I set toes in the cool 65 degree water. The tide is low and I can walk out to the waves. Families holler and laugh in the waves south of me. Tourists watch from the pier above me. Fellow surfers bob and watch the horizon for the next wave. I get out to the line up and dunk my head in the water – my hair wet, my face refreshed – I hop on my board and sit to wait for the next wave. I take in the cool breeze. I run my hands back and forth across the water. I smell the sea and the freshly applied wax on my board. Birds fly freely above me. The water, staying true to itself, rises and falls as my breath slowly syncs up.

When I surf I am completely immersed in my surroundings. All I feel is the physical and all the cobwebs in my head phase out as a smile forms on my face and my body balances. Just me and the ocean. Just little me and the big beautiful blue shimmering ocean. I am calm and I am happy – not thinking about the fight with my boyfriend, my future career move, traffic, or whether I’ll be able to find a parking spot when I get home… just me exercising patience as the waves begin to build.

I see a wave form and I turn to begin paddling. It’s about 4 feet away from  me and starting to curl. I paddle paddle paddle, digging deep and looking to see which way the wave is curving. It picks me up. I smile and breath in the force. I paddle two more times and press up, jumping to my feet. The board catches on the wave and soon I am soaring above the waves and flying. It feels like a good 40 miles per hour on the Ocean Express. The white wash breaks around me and I jump off my board, sinking into the cool water, it’s refreshing against my body, heated with adrenaline and exhilaration.

What fight? What traffic?  What career? What worry?

I stay for 3 hours. Catching waves and sitting to watch the sunset. Everyone around me is happy. I am happy. I am exhausted – worn to the bone but still going, still flying, still smiling. If I did one thing right in my life – it was to discover the joy of surfing. No matter what, I will always have the waves and my board.  I will always be happy.