And the right attitude wins

I took Woman’s Day here in South Africa as an invitation to go surfing. Surely rejoicing in the bounty of Mother Nature on this public holiday must be a good thing?

Well I was all wrong. Nothing unusual about that, certainly when it comes to women...

Our first view of our usual break was vaguely reminiscent of a week ago when I dubbed it my most extreme surf ever. Freezing cold water, gale force plus winds, and big waves made for an interesting surf then, with only the wind being slightly less aggressive today. Oh, and the sets were few and far between. I sat in the car, being rocked gently by the wind, hoping the posse would decide not to venture forth. I was outvoted by the aggressive suiting up of my so called mates.

I got my kit on, slowly. Then my rock hopping into the sea was cut short by a mistimed wave which washed me backwards over the rocks. Paddling through the icy water, I questioned why I was there at all. At backline, numerous waves went by before I caught one. The one I caught, reared up, smashed me on the back, rolled me along the sea floor, and washed me up 75 meters further down the break. The second wave I caught did the same thing.

 The rest of my surf posse was having a glorious time, catching wave after wave!

I realised my problem was simply my mental attitude. Could I change my attitude as I got colder and more tired? My children are constantly badgered by me to start everything they do with the right attitude and if they are to do something, to do it to the best of their ability. Yet here was, suffering because I had failed to heed my own advice. A hard fought mental attitude change brought meagre results, two waves in the two hours I was out there.

Hardly a mental recovery to write about! Instead realisation about how truly remarkable it is for any person to lift their game while in the throes of negativity!

And how much more I can do to support my children when they are struggling instead of berating them...