Checking in

I haven't been in the water for a week, and what a mother of a week it's been. Most of the time, I was too busy to even check for waves, but I don't think there were any.

I really wanted to go surf today, but not just for the usual reasons. Surfing can serve a lot of different purposes at different times. Sometimes it's a chance to relax (as long as the waves aren't too big), to think and meditate (if the crowds aren't too big), to just to connect with nature and the ocean.

I have had more than one major, historic, life altering event this week. (Nothing I want to blab about to the whole world---sorry, guys.) Some of the signposts I use to make sense of the world seem to have been moved. (But in a good way; I mean, the events were positive ones, if disorienting.)

I needed to go experience the ocean again, waves or not, to check in with her.

Oh hi ocean. I see you're still here. I'm so glad. I'm still here too, but different, can you tell?

So even though the waves were one foot and the tide was wrong, I still went out, for a little while. I didn't stay long. I didn't get rides. I got up, but when I caught waves, the tide was so high there was just nowhere to go. On a day like today, I'm totally cool with blaming the waves, not me.

It's OK. I just needed to check in.