The Weight

The problem with the rain, particularly rain of seemingly Biblical proportions, is that inevitable feeling of being trapped indoors. And when one is trapped, one is prone to thinking too much about things which would normally be washed away by a few hours in the ocean.

I have a life apart from surfing. Most surfers do. I will admit, though, that my life is incomplete without surfing. Thanks to the rain, I am unsurfed.

I've spent an inordinate amount of time perusing the halls of YouTube over the last 40 days and 40 nights. (It's felt like we've had that much rain!) As I sit here now listening to Traffic jam "Dear Mr. Fantasy" on a separate tab, I keep coming back to The Band. They know how we surfers, skaters and other outdoor-centered people feel right about now.

I suppose what I'm trying to articulate is that surfing helps me to both shoulder the weight of life and, when I'm lucky, completely shrug off the weight of life. Sometimes, you have no choice but to shoulder your load. Surfing certainly makes you stronger in that respect. But when you can't surf, you can feel those knees buckling, trying not to give way from the strains and stresses that we all inevitably deal with every day.

I know the ocean will be there when she's recovered from this bout of seasickness. Once she's feeling better (and cleaner), I'll paddle out so that I can feel better as well.