Charging

Did you ever have a session so good the feeling from it lasted all day? Well, yeah, you probably have cause if you're reading this, you probably surf better than me. But at my level, such sessions are rare.

It's always a good session when you catch and ride your very first wave. And it's always a surprise. It wasn't the conditions that were so good. The wind was east and so the waves were sideshore and choppy. They were also a tad bigger than they've been. That first wave was fun, but I wasn't sure I could do it again. But I had to: because I knew I had started that one on my knees instead of doing the popup---it worked because the ride was so long today, I had plenty of time to get to my feet. But I needed to try to do the real popup again.

So I waited. There were about eight guys out, a couple of whose faces I recognized, and no women. It was a friendly enough group. One of them even called a wave for me, which I made---almost. Others sympathized when I again almost, cause they were missing them too. You had to choose your spot carefully.

I was feeling very good, very confident. I noticed a guy who had what looked like earphones on (waterproof Ipod?) and I have to say: Why does anyone need that? I mean, do you really need earphones to hear music in your head? What a pity. Today my head was playing Bruce Springsteen Live in Dublin alternating with a wonderful, professional quality performance of the World Music Ensemble of Marlboro College from 2005, in which my son was singing. The music was good enough almost to bring the sun out.

I avoided the curse of the one-good-ride session by getting more rides. I got about five. I know I didn't popup on those either, but at least I didn't do the two-knees-on-the-board thing, and I was getting waves when a lot of people weren't.

Low initial expectations + better than usual performance = stoke. But more than that, it was the way I just felt so confident. I've learned a lot about surfing by having a car and driving in Manhattan. Last week I spent hours driving around looking for parking spots, and the lesson I learned was this: There is no such thing as being too aggressive. (I also learned never to look for parking at the time of the morning when street regulations change.) I had to react immediately if I saw a spot; I could not say to myself, I'll just drive around the block and come back, because everytime I did that, by the time I'd driven around the block someone else had taken the spot. I missed three possible spots and wasted so much time doing that before I finally wised up. Screw the guy behind you who's blasting his horn because you stopped traffic when you saw a spot. Screw driving around the block just to get him off your back. Let them wait, let them drive around you. Get the spot when you can, any way you can.

Like I said, just like surfing. No such thing as being too aggressive. You've got to commit. Yeah, you might miss the wave, your car might not fit in the spot, but you've got to go for it with no hesitation.

There is one sentence I never expected to hear directed at me, not in this lifetime. "You took off on that head high wave and you were charging it!"

And yet today it was so (well, that I heard it, anyway). I think the speaker exaggerated a bit, dear reader; rest assured that I have never yet charged a head high wave. She's a boogieboarder so perhaps everything looks bigger to her. ;) But honestly, there was nothing above waist high today, in my estimation, though it is true that I was charging. That is what some confidence and a good soundtrack can do.

As I write the clouds are layered in long blue gray streaks over the ocean, the sun is thinking about going down, and a big ocean liner on the horizon has switched on its lights. Right now in front of my house the last surfers of the day are taking off and riding. There are still waves, almost waist high, big enough to send them flying.