Handel Wasn't Talking About the Messiah

Today was the maiden voyage of my Body Glove Vapor 4/3. I actually wasn't looking forward to wearing it since getting in and out of a new wetsuit is always a challenge (especially when it's a 4/3). I didn't foresee good things for this session either. First, there's the shorter board. Then, there's the thick, stiff wetsuit. But I'd only brought that board and that wetsuit with me. If I was going to get wet, I had no choice. As soon as I hit the water, I smiled. I felt . . . nothing. I didn't feel the cold water on my legs or on my torso. It was glorious!!!! And that's when I heard the music: Hallelujah! Hallelujah! (Listen and watch it here.) That's when the epiphany hit me. Check it! Handel's piece wasn't about God or Jesus or whoever. That brotha wrote that piece after his first session in his 4/3. What? You didn't know Handel was a surfer? Who didn't know that? Aside from the fact that I was almost too warm, the suit's flexibility was perfect. Paddling was no problem at all.

Once again, I was at the home break. Hey, it's convenient. My kid's school is literally 10 minutes away. The weather was impressive. The waves weren't. So what else is new? It was still a decent session. Sometimes all it takes is a few words from someone to make me surf better. I caught some waves early in the session. Then I just sort of stopped catching them. I'm not sure what that was about. Anyway, one of my favorite surfers then paddled out next to me. Mind you, this guy is by no means the best surfer in the line-up. Nine times out of 10, he'll totally screw up the wave he's going for. Still, he's got a good attitude and good energy. He should probably be on a bigger board, but refuses (which is probably why he has trouble getting into waves). He was out today on his 6'4" and was happy to see me out on the shorter board. I was still having trouble catching waves when he paddled out. Then he said the magic words:"You have to be more aggressive." I immediately knew what he meant. I started catching waves. I wasn't riding them well, but I was still catching them. I'll remember what he said when I feel myself getting lazy on the shorter board.

The water was, in a word, filthy. I don't know why. We all kept paddling away from the green and brown slime that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. With it came the trash. I finally gave in, went against my rule about not touching the trash and followed the lead of a few others. I grabbed stuff that looked innocent enough (like wrappers) and stuffed it in my wetsuit. Once I was out of the water, I threw the stuff away in the trash. I even picked up some trash on the beach as I walked with my board toward the car. I know it's not much. It's still better than nothing. I'd rather be part of the solution than part of the problem.