on the wild water These
days,
with
the
difficulty
of
raising
a
family
through the tumult of a pandemic, it’s crucial to be able
to
step
outside
and
away
from
the
noise
to
find moments of peace. Ideally long, uninterrupted moments where I’m out of my routine, my mind stops churning through the to-do list, and I am present for myself and completely aware of my surroundings.
Sometimes a quick run will have to do, and I always
On the shore, you still feel the built environment
try to block time for yoga, but the real escape that I
all around you, but in front of you, just a short
have found in the recent past is on a surfboard.
distance
offshore,
is
the
line
where
the
places
that people have built crosses into the wild. The Am I a surfer? Ha! No! But I am a person who gets on a
surfboard
from
time
to
time,
and
on
several
occasions I’ve moved from one place in the water to another, sometimes while standing! Truth be told, I am proud of the progress I’ve made in learning to surf at age 40, but for me it’s not really about the surfing as much as it’s the whole immersive experience of being out on the water, bobbing in the waves, with only the sound
of
water
slapping
at
the
board
and
the
soothing dirge of waves rolling onto the beach while the seagulls squawk at one another.
ocean
is
intense,
with
an
element
of
danger
always present with the tides, in the water, and yet the thrum of the mainland recedes with each paddle until finally you’re away from it all. Out there
it’s
just
me,
the
board,
the
sun,
my
wet
salty hair finding its way all around my head. The occasional seabird passes by, hardly concerned with me. My pulse levels off, my tension eases, and then I just watch the water and wait for the one
for
me.
I
can
choose
to
take
it,
or
I
can
choose to let it roll on under me. It is for me and
I confess I was nervous at first, but I jumped at the
for
opportunity
independence. I bathe in the sights and sounds
to
try,
and
immediately
after
my
first
wave, I was hooked. Maybe because the solitude and independence complete
of
the
opposite
of
surfing a
experience
mother’s
life
is
with
me
only
to
decide,
and
I
revel
in
my
of my surroundings, and I reset.
the
young
children - did I mention I have three children? - but I found it to be both exhilarating and calming at the same
time.
difficult, here
in
and
captivated The
The fact
near
there me
physical
impossible,
brought
was
transformation
I
challenge
me
but
joy.
psychological. felt
in
my
felt a
little
But
mind
and
-
victory
what
Almost
time I rode out to try to catch a wave.
good
really
spiritual.
body
each
by:
Kelly Lombardi REALTOR/Sales Associate