Riding the Waves

Yesterday while on the phone with a wise friend she said, "Sounds like you are riding the waves. You can feel the motion changing, but you just can't control it." It sounded so easy when she said it. At least I could understand why I had been feeling a bit "seasick" lately.

Even though I have lived within driving distance of the "shore" in New Jersey, the "ocean" in California, or the "beach" in North Carolina and Alabama, I have never tried surfing. Nothing about it appealed to me. Standing, (if you ever get to that part) on a skinny board, tossed about wildly, wondering if sharks are lurking below is of absolutely no interest to me. Why would I want my life to be like that?

Yet I wonder if we aren't always surfing--feeling the motion changing around us. I decided to check out surfing tips on the web hoping they would help me ride some of the waves I am on right now. I went to chiff.com and found some great stuff!

• Mark the balance point. Basically, this sounds like using trial and error to find where you can best balance while lying down on the board. There was an important note about this step...when you reach balance, take note of where that point is . Hmmm-
• Paddle with one arm at a time. Apparently, this allows for you to maintain a consistent speed so you can catch the wave. (I guess as opposed to being pummeled by it.) Going full-speed with both arms is detrimental to control.
  
• Be calm and stay still when first trying to sit on the board. Wow! This is SO Fr. Keating. "The less movement you make, the easier it is to do this (sit on the board). All the other skills of surfing will improve as you learn to be 'calm' while surfing." I guess that means making radical, reactionary changes will knock us off our boards.
• When you come up, remember to keep low. Assume a position of a sumo wrestler. I have no idea how this might translate to riding life's waves, but I love the visual.
• Practice this for hours. So those trips to the zafu cushion to meditate or the yoga mat to practice must be of some benefit in this life wave surfing thing.

OK-I'm not as afraid of surfing as I was before and I actually feel like I know this stuff when it comes to riding life's waves. I am grateful to chiff.com for the reminder! Surf's up!