Surf's Up!

Even on a hike in the desert there's water!

I have ALWAYS loved the water.  So much so that my mother used to call me her "water baby."  I was always the first one into the water, last one out.  Only, I never learned to swim properly.  I didn't mind so much but now it really matters! Why? Because My GirlTrek Trailblazer adventure is to learn to SURF!  Whaaa?  I've never known any surfers personally, certainly never seen any black surfers (not even on TV)...till I started doing some research. So WHY SURFING? 


...because it's waaaay out of my comfort zone and that was sorta the point of being part of the 2012 Fellowship.  At the beginning of this year I promised myself I'd turn my health around.  It would be one of my gifts to myself in celebration of my upcoming 40th birthday (October 31).  For years I've ignored or mistreated my body as it struggled to keep me healthy.  I recently began to wonder, "What would it FEEL like if I worked WITH my body?  What kinds of things would I be able to DO?  Could I live to an extraordinarily vibrant 100?"  I'm poised to find out and facing the ocean and her waves is one of the many ways I plan to do it!

FACING MY FEARS = CHOOSING TO LIVE MY LIFE TO THE FULLEST 
Standing on the sand, seeing a mighty wave grow tall in front of me sounds/feels scary.  At the same time a big wave would be that much more awesome to ride, right?  I feel like surfing may just be a perfect metaphor for my life.  As the big waves (opportunities) come and I hold back contemplating whether or not to go (procrastinating) how many great opportunities (waves/ rides) do I miss?  Instead, maybe I can FEEL my fear, BELIEVE in my abilities and move forward with all the PASSION and FAITH I can muster and TRUST that I will be more than fine!  Every time I fall & get up, whether or not I was perfectly set in the wave and even I have the most amazing rides, I'll be teaching myself that to try is to succeed and I am worth every attempt at going after what I want WHOLEHEARTEDLY!