Sometimes, imo, the Universe/God/Love nudges us a bit. Whether we lean in is on us (freedom, free will)–but doing so can be amazing. I gave in once to something so outside myself there was no way it was just me. In turn, I picked up deep liberation from religion and cleared massive walls I didn’t even know I built.
But it doesn’t have to be so serious, Jas..
For more than a year I thought I was getting signals to go Surfing.
Surfing?? Me?? City girl? North Sea? Not a great swimmer at all.. Jas, check that.
I can be heavy serious, or too in my head so this was like crazy talk. Maybe it was just the cool metaphors:
“Emotions are like waves: they keep coming but you get to choose which ones you surf..” Or that shirt my daughter found, “Where there’s a Will, there’s a Wave..”
But the nudges kept coming. I even met two strangers on two separate occasions who randomly shared about Surf trips. Huh?!
My point break š came when visiting a church and seeing a drawing of a surfer scaling a massive wave on the screen. My jaw dropped.
Ok Universe/God/Love.. Im in.
Together with 3 friends we broke into our agendas, booked a place to stay, a surf lesson (Dreams, TY!) and hit the North Sea for more than R & R.
Universe Wink: The day we arrived we heard “You’re lucky! Best day of waves this Season!” Wow. Nudge, Nudge. <3
After a wicked time getting in wetsuits, we got a sand tutorial on how the sea works, water patterns to look out for, and practised jumping on the boards.
Off we go!
No one can describe how surfing is, how it feels to catch a wave, or the Vibe of the people and crew. Or that you’ll never see water the same again.
If you have anything for beach, water, or fast cars/horsepower, please try to go!
I got motion sickness, had panic when sitting on the board in the calm past the breakers, my feet aware there was no bottom. I tried to catch some waves, failed, got toppled by a monster, made it back on my board. And then with a little push and big encouragement from the instructor, I caught one– or one caught me..
OMFG.
Like a wild volcano unicorn, or the earth cluing you in on its super sonic core, like a rocket, 0 to 60 in under one second.. I don’t have good words. Flipping Wonder.
It was a glimpse, beyond the beauty and ferocity and calm and chaos of the sea, it’s also Living. (tweet)
Vianna comes close.. š
I’m so grateful I got to lean into the nudges. Here are
5 takeaways from that Surf Trip:
1. Getting in a Wetsuit is a b*, but you need it.
Half our prep time was wrenching our bodies in super tight full body wetsuits. But the suits were intended to keep us warm and help with buoyancy in case we separated from the board.
Some life circumstances are Crap. We can feel crushed by our situations, fears, or things hurting in our hearts. But there’s hope that maybe something we’ve learned or walked through will come in handy further down our road. Even if it’s just me being a better support for someone passing a similar path.
2. It’s hard getting through the breakers to that calm spot to wait for the wave.
Everything you ever saw made it look so easy! But it’s HARD getting through to the calm of the water. You have to actively tread or swim against the tide.
Sometimes we’re stuck on the shore. Or it’s a struggle to press to where we’re hoping to go. But everyone experiences resistance, you’re not alone.
What are you letting hold you from the stirring in your heart?
3. There are more waves than you can ever ride. Relax. Breathe. Choose.
I sat on my board feeling the lumps as waves came through. Abyss beneath me, others riders scattered around me. Enough waves for everyone, to try, to fail, to try again. They don’t stop. You get to choose.
Sometimes it feels our lives are being lived for us. But the minute the umbilical chord is cut, we know we’re designed for the freedom and power to choose our own path.
If you step out and the wave topples you, no sweat. It happens to all of us. More waves coming.
4. This is Surfing. Chill Out.
I remember being so bummed there was no hang ten hand signal emoji in Whatsapp (it’s there now!). Me and the girls started using it all weekend. It became a mental symbol for chill out, relax, dope, it’s all good, nice man, rock on..
The Vibe at the beach– sharing, caring, supporting one another, of letting go, of having fun, was like a metaphor for how life should be.
Don’t take your stuff and yourself too seriously. I work on heavy issues, it seems almost wrong to lighten up. But you have to live to fight another day, right? And we can’t be On all the time.
5. In life, the waves don’t stop coming, you might as well learn to surf.
Self Care & Self Empowerment are critical. And if emotions are like waves, you can and must choose which ones you want to ride.
Don’t sit on the shore of your life forever. You have more power than you think, and the Universe is on your side. <3
Ā© @JasNotes – thisisheartinformation.com
Hey, Iām Jasmine, coffee done and wondering, what’s a message you got from the Universe? Post a comment below, and feel free to share the blog.❤
A little more Love?
ā Stay the Same or Show Up? The Rainbow Needs all Her Colors to Shine
ā Diamonds & Pencils: Become the Hero of Your Story
ā Stars are Always Shining, even if you Donāt See Them
—
NB: *I use He & His as simple pronouns for God, but fully recognize God with male and female āidentityā (for lack of a better word) as demonstrated throughout the Bible and most blatantly through humanity. Related post, Transgender God, here.
Photo Credits:
*Where I can, I always try to credit photo authors. Pls msg me, I really miss buckets here. But 3 smiling chicks at beach @JasNotes.
FANTASTIC, UPLIFTING BLOG POST and GRAPHICS!
MAGICAL!!!
MYSTICAL!!!
It made me really happy to read your post and I found myself imagining the experience: squeezing into the wetsuit, smelling the North Sea air, tasting the salty water, toe-gripping the surf board, falling off, going under, breath-gasping cold water, total immersion in the sea, exhilarating, close to God, protected by God, holding my breath, bobbing back up, hoisting myself back on, catching a wave, balancing and riding it in.
The experience must have been sooooo life-enriching.
I greatly appreciate your sharing this really cool experience, and your thoughts, feelings and learnings.
Vivacious!
Vicarious!
Victorious!
I enjoyed seeing one of my own, lifelong mantras, āLive to fight another dayā in this post. Iām a steadfast believer in that.
Great, fun, insightful read! Thank you for sharing!
Congratulations, Ms. J.!
Blessings!