I love the sound of ocean waves. It transports me to a primal world … a world consisting of only ocean waves and sound waves … a world with the possibility of life but not life itself. I think a surfer feels the same way … may be much more intensely. I’ve heard surfers say that it feels like being in the womb (not sure if they have any memory of it though 🙂 ) while gliding into the barrel (the hollow of a breaking wave). And then, a few seconds later, it feels like being born while emerging from its natural rolling end.
This surfer I met at Bondi Beach looked intensely happy coming out of the water after riding the waves. I was instinctively drawn towards him. We chatted … we laughed.
“What makes you love surfing so much?” I asked.
He responded with a divine smile, “The time between the waves is the time to feel grateful. The beauty … the quietness of those moments is what I live for. I love my life. I love what I do.”
I’m grateful to have met him. I realized that the ocean is much more than its waves. It’s deep and silent and it absorbs a thousand waters. One day, I’d like to absorb a thousand desires and find peace. Then … I feel … I can touch the depths of my soul.
