Days 5&6

The Quickening

Two days since my last blog, and it feels like 2 months. Because, of the sudden amount of time on my hands and sudden shift into a new life. My geographical location may be temporary, but some of these shifts are more lasting. For instance, a shift in jobs. Another instance, a shift back into creative output (many projects, which I will discuss further down). So many more differences: no dog, no close friends, no hot yoga studio. Not drinking, no distractions from work and various other creative endeavors. Of course, there's surfing, the main theme to this adventure, but I also had the intent for (most of) the other shifts as well. And I can only surf so many hours of the day!

Contemplation. I have so much space and time to think. Maybe too much! I have to be careful to stay on the positive side of thinking, about all things. It is a trial for me to be in a new situation essentially by myself with no security blankets and keep all thoughts positive. It is a good challenge, it only strengthens this ability in me, where I don't have the close network of friends and established life to fall back on.

That's the heavier stuff... the lighter stuff would be how much fun the surf still is! I cannot believe how good it's been since I've gotten here. I mean, this trip was my dedication to my love of surfing, and here I am getting just what I had hoped for: good waves that I can progress on. Fantastic! What have I learned? One of them is "stay on your feet!" Sounds basic, right? Actually something that helped me in skateboarding a while back. Just making the dedication "my feet are NOT coming off this board no matter what!" Sometimes the big waves out at Wilderness could get a little hairy and try to knock me off my balance, or I would do some turns and stuff that would make me fall, but now I'm using that same "just stay on your feet no matter what" mentality and becoming way more consistent on each wave. Sounds basic but it helped. I so wish I had surfing pictures to share, but I don't! That is one of my goals while I am down here though, to get some surf pics taken! Soon.

Saturday, I surfed Wilderness, head-high to overhead waves, very fun, lots of good rides again. Today, I got up just before 6am to make the sunrise Easter session with Tom and some of his buddies, again at Wilderness. It was a little choppy and not as organized as usual (non-surfers, this just means the quality wasn't a 10...I'd give the quality a 6), but BIG still. I had a bunch of good rides again, but I was also getting my butt kicked on a few waves!! Because they weren't as organized, sometimes I'd take off on a wave and it would end up not being the best takeoff spot and I'd get slammed! Thank God I am a yogi, because flexibility really comes in handy at times like those. I had a few hard falls: I kinda got a whip-lash effect twice and one time hit my face and head right on the deck of my board, also one time the fins on my board hit me real hard on the palm of my hand as I fell.

EASTER SUNDAY AT WILDERNESS

I have a theory about wrecks and accidents in sports: they're no accident, and completely avoidable given the right mindset. Clearly, I did not have this mindset going on today, but the best thing to do when that happens is laugh it off! You take all power away from the mindset that is drawing accidents and falls towards you, and start bringing the vibe back in the good direction. When I hurt my hand, it hurt a lot and at first I thought it was going to be bad, but I shrugged it off and said, it's fine. I laughed off that fall and my other goofy falls. And no joke--I watched that thing on my hand go from a purple lump to nothing, all in the time I was out surfing, a couple hours. Feels fine now. Powerful stuff.

The other great thing about surfing today was the SEA TURTLES! The whole time I was out, there were about 3 or 4 HUGE turtles... I think they were Green Sea Turtles... in the line-up with us. One of them was swimming on the surface of the water out to sea as I was paddling back out after catching a wave. I caught up to him, and fully expected him to submarine to escape me... but he stayed right on the surface and I paddled right alongside him within 2-3 feet for a bit. It was really cool, I've never been so close to one without it swimming away.

Besides surfing I've just really been burying myself into the web design/new business startup work and learning some tools of the trade, as well as other creative endeavors--doing a lot of photo manipulation and graphic designs with Photoshop, also a couple other side projects in the works that I won't talk about just yet because I'm not sure where I will go with them. Anyway, very good to be creating again, an area of my life you could say I neglected a bit over the last 2 years.

I did my first home practice of Bikram yoga today. I'm excited because I was able to heat the room enough to get a good sweat on... boy did it feel good to do yoga after the rough day of surfing... I feel all better! Yoga is the magic cure-all!

Also, my buddy Ray got back into town today, so I'm excited to hang out with him and his crew of friends that I really enjoyed hanging out with the last time I was visiting in December. I definitely need to get out and be social at this point before I become too reclusive artist type.

Thanks for reading my long blog.

As per request, more pictures:

There's some abuse going on down here. Me, abusing Jungle Love Acai energy drink!!

Fire at Wilderness Saturday. Don't worry everything was OK.

Another self portrait Saturday after I came in from surfing

Previous tenants left me some starfish. They're still drying out but will go into this little decorative hodge-podge of sea objects I made in my apartment

My view chillin on the beach on Saturday after surfing