Mother Nature is My Guru
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Don't wait for a perfect wave or a perfect moment, take a moment and make it perfect!
The waves were 4 - 7 feet today and I was so grateful and thankful for my new Album Surfboard that allowed me to duck-dive seamlessly through the never-ending waves and whitewash that just kept coming relentlessly. While I was out there, duck dive after duck dive I went through all the life lessons that surfing has taught me. After returning home from the beach, here is what I came up with.
These days, life seems to be a bit of a paradox and the more I know, the more I know I don’t know. I’ve been on this quest to unlock the hidden dimensions of my life and surfing is the key to the answers needed for a constant involution.
Being a Child of Nature, surfing has taught me some very valuable lesson’s that I apply in my every day life. There’s no better way to be a genuine seeker than to apply the lessons learned by Mother Nature herself. She is my Guru.
The sea is where I see no boundaries between my energy and yours, between my energy and the waves. Consciousness is the potential for all creation. If you are connected to the source you will have unlimited resources to tap into it to create the life you truly want to live. Like the ocean waves as they rise and fall, all energy comes from the source as the waves and us merge together, we return to it. Our awareness is all that changes in the journey from separation to the one reality.
Lesson 1:
Change is Constant
Each day in the ocean is different from the last. No two days and no two waves at a beach break are ever the same. Have you ever paid close attention to the seasons changing year to year and have you noticed with the global climate change it’s never the same? Nicaragua used to get rain in the beginning of May and it has yet to rain. It is the sudden expansion that counts when you meet your soul mate for the first time and can no longer deny that powerful connection and feeling, here we have tasted a hidden dimension beyond what our society deems reality. Things will change, it is only a matter of time. Don’t try to control it, just allow it.
"Surfing's one of the few sports that you look ahead to see what's behind."
~Laird Hamilton
Lesson 2:
Know Where
You're Going
Before you paddle out, set a course and get there safely staying out of people and harm’s way. The big sets that roll through are just obstacles that can come along unexpectedly but so do the small ones. Have an idea of where you’re going. Just as a single word can open your heart, a single wave can either make your day or break you. Set your course but remain open to changes, refer to Lesson 1. Mother Nature can change her mind at the last second so be prepared. When you are flung outside your boundaries, if only for a moment, you have tasted that hidden dimension.
"You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf."
~John Kabat-Zinn
Lesson 3:
Let it all Hang out!
Whether you like yourself or not is irrelevant. When you’re in the water, especially a female surfing in a bikini it might happen to hang out. I rode a wave in and went to paddle back out, the sets just kept coming and here I was paddling out with one boob out not giving a damn, only caring about survival. Say to yourself, “This situation may be shaking me, but I am more than any situation.” Don’t resist or react to what other people might think of you. They have their own issues to deal with. Whatever your ego thinks is probably inappropriate. You can follow the wave of the ego as far as it wants to go, but notice it grow fainter as it fills the whole universe with love. And just as this wave disappears into infinity, and you can adjust your swimsuit you will become connected with your real self. This is a sudden glimpse of freedom from the ego that unlocks the hidden dimension within your soul.
"Surfing is such an amazing concept. You're taking on Nature with a little stick and saying, 'I'm gonna ride you!' And a lot of times Nature says, 'No you're not!' and crashes you to the bottom."
~Jolene Blalock
Lesson 4:
Fall down 8, Get
Back Up 9!
When you fall down, try to do it gracefully and then get back up quickly. When you can laugh at yourself you lose the need to take yourself so seriously. Like a young carefree child whose innocence can never be defeated. Fall down, look up to the sky to see the infinity beyond it and then get back up! Getting back up shows the world that you know who you are. From this tiny sensation a whole new pattern emerges, one of strength and courage and the Universe doesn’t know what to do about that. You have a momentary glimpse of awareness and that single thread leads into a complete garment of color and texture. To master pure awareness, you must learn how to live it by getting back up when you fall.
"It's all about where your mind's at."
~Kelly Slater
Lesson 5:
When in doubt,
Paddle Out!
Determination. Roll with the punches. Give it your all. Life is all about the paddle. Keep pushing through. Just listen to your intuition and heart along the way!
"Eddie would go!"
~Unknown author
Lesson 6:
One More!
You paddle for a wave thinking, “If I catch this one I will ride it in,” but after you get off you tell yourself, “Just one more and paddle back out!” Go for it. Wanting more is good. It is the need of something that creates an imbalance. So keep going but also know when enough is enough.
"Out of water, I am nothing."
~Duke Kahanamoku
Lesson 7:
Stand Up For
Yourself
If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything! Stand up for yourself. Today a local Nicaragua snaked several of my waves and would sit right on the inside just in front of me trying to intimidate me. Finally I told him off. Cursed at him in Spanish and the other locals had my back. Life and surfing calls for having a back bone. One must be strong when it’s necessary and don’t let people intimidate or bully you. Take a stand with integrity and grace and I promise, the right people will come to your rescue like a pack of wild dogs.
"One drop in is an accident, two is rude, three is a twatable offense."
~Roger Sharp
Lesson 8:
Share. Don’t Be a
Wave Hog!
Take Turns. Just because you’re the best surfer out there doesn’t give you the right to hog all the waves. You don’t own this shit! Mother Nature created these waves for all of us to enjoy. Share, take turns and encourage others to enjoy the ride. Life is about sharing it with other like-minded people. If you see someone sitting on the shoulder for ages and they haven’t gotten a wave because you’re always in the peak, then back off, is it going to kill you to give up one wave? Sharing is caring. To love someone is subtler than to resent them and push them away. To accept someone is subtler than to gossip about them. To see someone without judgement is subtler than criticizing them. To share with someone is subtler than being selfish. Favor the subtler sides and these people in your life. Only if you value it, it will grow.
"It's like the mafia. Once you're in - you're in. There's no getting out."
~Kelly Slater
Lesson 9:
Be Bigger Than
The Waves!
When you see someone else making big mistakes, be a good example and be the light house that will lead them safely out of the dark.
There are three kinds of waves that roll through during most days just as there are three kinds of friends in your life.
1.) Those who leave you alone, the smaller waves on the inside.
2.) Those who hurt you, the massive closeout sets that roll through and...
3.) Those who help you, those perfect waves that make you look like a rock-star and give you confidence to go back for more.
Determine who these friends and waves are and choose them wisely. The friends and waves that leave you alone are the ones that are just doing their own thing and staying out of your way. Nothing wrong with that. The waves and friends that can hurt you want your situation to stay the same because they do not have your well-being at heart. Those waves and friends that help you grow and make you look like a rock star have the strength and awareness of their own than you posses by yourself. Ask these friends, the ones who help you to join you in this paddle we call life. Let these people join you in your quest for growth, let them be a bigger part of your life.
"Surfing's the source. Can change your life. Swear to God."
~Patrick Swayze
Lesson 10:
Don’t Take Anything
Too Seriously!
Laugh and have fun out there. Have you ever seen those agro surfers out in the line up punching the water when they miss a wave, trying to pick a fight if someone gets in their way. They look like a bunch of jokers, give me a break. Let’s cheer each other on and have a laugh. I love to goof around out there on smaller days and even when it is bigger, paddle over to someone and strike up a brief conversation about how gnarly the waves are. Connection is key and we are all connected to each other and the innate oneness and having someone else to share that with makes it so much better! Some people take life and surfing way to seriously. We need to have each others backs out there and I’m more inclined to try to save someone if they weren't a jerk when I paddled out.
"I surf to get tan." ~Shane Dorian
"The best surfer out there is the one having the most fun." ~Duke Kahanamoku
Lesson 11:
Don’t Fight It!
If you struggle and resist, that’s when you get hurt. Learn to let go, timing is key! When a massive close out set rolls through and you can’t quite make the duck dive, don’t fight against the wave washing you to shore, just flow with it. Next time, just go deeper! Suffering is pain that we hold onto. Anywhere that life hurts mean we have locked ourselves into some kind of false identification.
"Waves are not measured in feet and inches, they are measured in increments of fear."
~Buzzy Trent
Lesson 12:
Go Deeper!
Deeper is better in all areas of life, especially spirituality. Get your minds out of the gutter! When you nail a perfect duck dive, only a surfer knows the feeling, it feels better than sex! So let’s go deeper into the link between suffering and unreality. Stop grasping and clinging to the unreal. Once you stop pretending to know what is real, things fall into place automatically. Life never stops demanding more and more, just as the waves won’t stop coming. So learn to surf and let’s quit protecting ourselves from what we fear is part of who we are and just go deeper. Waves have a way of stripping you from the illusion that you are untouchable. Be humble. The whole purpose of life can change with just a flicker of awareness and as soon as you begin to accept this knowledge, the sooner you will have freedom to be yourself. Ooooohhhh that’s deep!
"Surfing is very much like making love. It always feels good, no matter how many times you've done it."
~Paul Strauch
Lesson 13:
LOVE.GRATITUDE.
RESPECT.
We all want to find our soul mate, a connection to Mother Nature, our Life’s Purpose and a career that would be most fulfilling. Love is the answer to any question. Gratitude is what me must have for this life and one another and respect should be given to nature! Now go ... surf the waves of Karma!
"I think when a surfer becomes a surfer, it's almost like an obligation to be an environmentalist at the same time"
~Kelly Slater
I’m going to end the lessons with the number 13. Thirteen was my Father’s favorite number and he drowned a few years ago, bless his soul. I feel connected to him when I’m in the water as I’m certain this is where his beautiful spirit and energy spends most time, probably trying to keep me safe. You never know what experiences the person sitting next to you on the bus or paddling out beside you has gone through. Share a laugh, a smile and some love. Just like Kelly Slater said, “we are all in it together.”
Safety First, Always
First.
This applies to surfing and life. Have some self-respect. Be safe in ALL situations, including sexual partners. haha. Be careful out there, don’t be a jackass and follow Surf Etiquette and Rules, if you don't know them --that's what friends and Google is for.
