Alone Again, Naturally

Does anyone remember that song? It was one of those songs from the 70's that got on my damn nerves. In fact, I'd forgotten that song until I was trying to come up with a title for this post. Somehow, I managed to get a session to myself for a change. I wasn't the only person in the water. It was the first time in months that I surfed around people I didn't know. I loved it. It's not that I don't love or appreciate my friends. It's just that there are times when I don't want to talk. That's another thing I miss as a result of having a full-time job. I used to have time to be quiet. Now, I'm at a job where I'm constantly talking. Even when I try to sit and read during the down time (and there isn't much of that at my job), my friend in the next cubicle will call over the wall to see if I'm still there . . . because I'm being so quiet. I value quiet time and now I get very little of it. Today's session was great for one reason: I didn't speak to anyone for about an hour. I also got some waves. They weren't good waves. But I got more waves than everyone else around me. The three other people on longboards were beginners and the fast beach break where we were surfing was giving them a fit. There were a couple of other guys on shortboards. The waves weren't good enough for them to do much. That meant I could go for it. In the hour that I was in the water, I got my fill. The rides were short. That was fine. I wanted to make sure I got a good workout, so I went for more waves than I normally would. I got most of them. I wanted to stay in longer, but the wind picked up and the waves died down. That was my cue to get out. Once I got out, I found my men and the talking commenced. I'm thankful for that hour of peace. All I had to do was paddle out and surf. Nothing else was required of me. One person whom I did not recognize waved at me when I first paddled out and asked where the brown board was. I replied that I don't surf it (i.e., the Tyler) at beach breaks much. That was it. The only other communication I had with people for the subsequent hour was in the form of smiles. There was a woman out there who I thought was a little too far inside. I almost told her to paddle further out, but then I wasn't sure if she'd appreciate the advice and, to be truthful, I didn't feel like talking. Had she been taking a beating, I would have given her some advice. But since the waves were tame, I left her alone. I'm now looking forward to the fall and winter. I'm anxious to get on that new board. (Yeah, the one I bought months ago, the one that's still sitting, unsurfed, in the garage.) I feel the need to try something new.