When "Go!" Means "Snake that Dude! He Won't Catch that Wave!"

I tend to be a polite surfer. I wait my turn . . . most of time time. I share. I really do expect that when someone is paddling for a wave, he's going to get it.

Then, reality rears its sometimes homely, yet often comely head.

One of the things that's interesting about being me (and Lord knows there is so much—just kidding!!) is that people in the water always remember me while I rarely remember folks unless I've seen them and/or talked to them a few times. I wonder why that is? No, it couldn't be that I'm the only me in the lineup. Yeah. I don't exactly blend in. Wait until I break out the light blue wetsuit again! Blend in? Me? NEVER!!

Is this post making you think of Led Zeppelin's "Ramble On"? It ought to—I am just rambling in no particular direction at this point!

As I was saying, I think, was that sometimes people say things to you in the water, and those things mean more than what you think. Today, a wave approached. A guy turned to me and yelled, "Go!!" Well, I didn't go. I looked at him, pointing simultaneously to the guy on my other side who was paddling for the wave. The wave that was ready to be ridden. The wave he didn't even come close to getting. That's when I looked at the first guy and went, "Oh." The first guy then smiled and said, "Yeah."

So, let's replay this conversation as if we'd been speaking freely.

Surfer #1: (Sees a rather nice wave approaching and turns to me) Hey, you should really just go ahead and paddle for that even though you're just paddling back out from your last wave.

Me: (Pointing to a Surfer #2 to my right) Yeah, but it's his wave. He's been waiting. I just got a wave. It's bad form to look at those who've been waiting and snake their waves. That's not my style.

We both watch as the surfer to my right paddles for the wave and doesn't even come close to catching it.

Me: (Looking at Surfer #1) Oh!! Well, I thought that dude was going to catch that! Damn! That was a nice wave. I could have had that! $#%^!

Surfer #1: Yeah. I told your happy ass to take that wave. That guy ain't catching shit. Haven't you been paying attention?

The moral of the story? Watch the surfers around you. Know when "Go!" means you have permission to be a snake.

The end.