Paddling against the current
This morning, I had a literal lesson in paddling against the current. Surfing at Kirra Beach. It was frustrating. Hard. I used too much energy. And essentially, I didn’t get anywhere.
On the positive side, it was good for my paddling fitness.
Reading waves, currents, oceans, tides, flow, and the particularities of different points and beach breaks is a skill. You do need to read the whole. To know the pattern of water. To be fluent in the way the surface speaks.
Many children in Australia are raised in the language of the ocean. I was not.
When you are in the water, it is easy to get caught in the fray of where you are, forgetting that where you are is part of the larger whole of this point or beach break.
Paddling against the current is foolish. There might be a rip two metres away that will carry you effortlessly out behind the break. Aide is just there, right beside you. But no, dig deeper, go harder, apply more effort.
What I needed to do was stop. Notice the pattern of the water. Look for the gap between sandbanks. Consider the whole.
It is what I teach about enterprise, business and life. The way forward that has ease and grace is right there. But we do not see it for the frenetic paddling that we are convinced is what we need to do.
I am still learning this lesson in different contexts.
It was a great workout. Yet next time, I will be wiser with the ways of the water.
Photo Taken September 16th 2023
