Well, At Least We Were Laughing

That was the best thing about today's session. There was a lot of laughter. And that was a good thing since there weren't any waves worth surfing. It was one closeout after another. It was the kind of day that frustrates the hell out of you, making the drive home an irritation because the little voice in your head won't stop reminding you how much you suck. The one bright spot, though, was the laughter. I paddled out at the home break on the 7'1" board. Even though there were no waves to speak of, I got in anyway, figuring every session I spend on that board brings me a little closer to the day when I can comfortably ride it. I ended up sitting with two people I see quite often at other breaks. And you know what? We had a ball not catching anything. We tried. And it was in the trying that the laughter started. I did manage to catch one wave. I saw what looked like a shoulder and decided to paddle for it (since it was a left). I didn't expect to catch it. I'd pulled out of—or had been thrown from—everything else I'd gone for. But this one was different. For some strange reason, it all came together. In one swift motion, I was on my feet. The shoulder held up, allowing me to stand for awhile and look around. That was all she wrote though. One of the homies paddled out on his 6'4", traded boards with me, proceeded to catch waves, and then ask me why I wasn't catching any. (The nerve!!!) My brain and shoulders aren't quite ready for the speed required to pop-up on a shortboard. I still think about it way too much. There was no way I was going to do anything on his board, especially since my shoulders were done. Shorter boards are work! I don't feel like going shorter is impossible. It's merely going to take some dedication. I got a lot of free coaching today. I was told I'll have to stop paddling like a longboarder. I'll have to stop popping up like a longboarder. This is going to take awhile. I can see that. But I'll keep trying.