My Ocean Teacher

."You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf." - Jon Kabat-Zinn

The idea behind these words always made sense to me, but ironically, I didn’t know how to live it until I actually started surfing.

The truth about me is, if I want to surf, I just go. Some days are clean and playful.

Some are slow, choppy, messy, challenging, stormy, or intimidating or just completely different from my expectations. But if I want to surf, I go anyway.

And the interesting part is - every session actually gives me something.

If it’s slow, I get my peace and connection with the water.

If it’s busy, I learn patience and positioning.

If it’s challenging, I learn confidence.

If it’s small, I work on different skills.

Every wave teaches me something and every session gives me something. And there is always a moment that makes the whole session worth it whether its a wave, a feeling, something I learned or its simply being there.

And I realized that the reason I keep finding those moments is because I keep showing up.

Things you can’t control are changing literally every second like tide, wind, swell. No moment is ever the same.The ocean always has a way of reminding us how little control we actually have.

The moment I compare today’s session to yesterday’s, I’m no longer surfing today’s session.

The moment I start wishing the conditions were different, I stop seeing what’s actually there.

But when I stay present, something changes. I stop trying to make the ocean into something she isn’t, fighting the conditions, waiting for the perfect wave. Instead, I meet the ocean where she is. Sometimes you catch ten waves that don’t go anywhere. Then one opens up. One ride that makes the entire session worth it. Not because it was better than yesterday’s wave. But because I was there for it.

At some point, I realized I wanted to meet life the same way I meet the ocean. And thats when the lesson landed.

Life will always have ups and downs, challenges, worries, fears, unexpected situations, moments of uncertainty, and grief. Just like the ocean, life keeps changing and brings us things that are outside of our control.

We so often tend to compare today to yesterday, wait for tomorrow, wish things were different. So often we’re waiting to be happy, when I get the job, when I have more money, when my health improves, when the situation changes, when life feels easier.

Meanwhile, life is happening right now. And so is the beauty. So Ocean taught me how to meet every day the way I show up for surfing. With full acceptance, presence and gratitude.

Accept what I can’t control, work with what I have instead of wishing it were different, stop waiting for a better moment and fully step into this one.

Because this moment is the only one that’s real.

Stay present.

Be happy.

Keep surfing. 🌊