Surffering
The lost cause of learning to balance
Through a series of pleasant circumstances, I got to try an introduction to surfing class 3 times in the last 2 months. Well, to start with, the “circumstances” were not “free”, but let’s just say - heavily discounted. And yours truly does not let go off a good deal if he sees one.
Now, long term friends of mine know that I am really bad at anything that requires me managing my balance. Well, I can ride a bicycle, but anything that requires me to hold myself stationary on something (board, wheels) while my body is moving forward (or backward) is something my brain is unable to process. I am at an age where I no longer even try doing that on land but when it came to surfing, I was okay to try cause it meant falling into water (which I thought I am generally not afraid of).
Anyway, falling in water occasionally is one thing, but falling in water all the time, not only physically bruises you, but also badly bruises your ego. Each of the 3 classes I attended were an hour long. The first half an hour involved holding onto a horizontal pole while an artificial wave came towards you. I think I sort of grasped the technique of holding onto the pole for my dear life without falling at the end of 30 minutes of class 1. However, the moment the pole was taken away, I could hardly last for 2 seconds max before I would have an awkward fall and get swept away by the gushing water.
Now, after having tried that for 2.5 hours subsequently, I can safely say that this is one sport that the Almighty does not want me to try at all. I must have fallen at least 50 times after that, each time lasting for a maximum of 3 seconds before going all wobbly and then falling spectacularly.
I subscribe to the philosophy of never giving up on something because you are bad at it. Mainly because I believe you can keep trying and there are only 2 possible outcomes - you either become good at it - or you grow old and depart for your heavenly abode. However, suffering through surfing also made me realize that I need to choose my hobbies wisely, lest I spend the rest of my life getting swept away by an artificial wave.
