Struggling

Looked out the window. Saw waves. No brainwork was necessary: go surfing.

There should have been brainwork.

The guy I saw out the window was getting rides. I saw him coming out when I was going in and he warned me that the paddleout was a bitch. "A lot of people are having trouble getting out."

And then I and four guys struggled for an hour to get out, and only one of us did.

The thing is, the waves weren't that big, and I think with a little more determination I could have made it. But it would have exhausted me and for what? One ride, if I was lucky?

It would have involved ducking my head under the cold water eight or ten times, because there were no lulls.

I could have done it, probably; except that I'm still missing one critical point of technique; that is how,when going under the wave by lying on the board as my surf instructor taught me, not only to not get pushed back but to gain some distance. This, I don't remember how to do.

All I was doing today was staying in the same place and taking wave after wave on the head. It wasn't scary, and it wasn't difficult, but it sure wasn't fun and it sure wasn't surfing.

I have asked for a refresher surf lesson on getting out, but the guy said he won't be able to do it for months.

After an hour of this I thought, "I could be inside baking Christmas cookies." So I got out, and met the same guy who was getting all the rides before. I asked him to explain to me how he got out. He did, but not in a way that I could easily understand or translate to myself. Then he offered to help me time the paddle out. We started out together, and I saw him get creamed several times, but he kept going and eventually got out ahead of me while I was still struggling to stay in place.

I don't know how he did it, so I can't say I really learned anything from him, but I tried.

Then I went in and baked cookies. The other three guys were heading out again. Why they thought it would work this time when it hadn't worked for the last hour, I had no idea.