day #28: surfs up

i would just like to state for the record that i have a healthy respect (and a teeny tiny bit if fear) for the ocean. as a kid, i got knocked down (but i got up again - sweet 90s joke!) by my fair share of giant waves, i was scared to death of jaws, and don't even get me started on the sea creatures that abide down in the abyss where it's all dark and they have crazy teeth and glow and stuff. i mean yes, some sea creatures are cute -like dolphins. and some are freaky, like this guy:

jellyfish chillin' on atlantic beach

in spite of all of this, i asked eddie for my first surf lesson while i was in florida. it's amazing to me that it's taken me 29 years to even attempt anything surfing related, especially when i grew up about 20 mins from the beach and lived in santa monica for 3 years. go figure. but i guess that's the point of this challenge, right?

earlier that morning i went for a solo walk and picked up a bunch of shells to take back to new york with me for beachy reminders. then when it was time, eddie loaded up the wagon with our gear and miss mattie b, and we set off for our surf lesson!

first, eddie showed me the proper way to lie on the board while i was waiting for the waves. he showed me which waves were the best, and then helped me catch a wave and ride it in like a boogie board to warm up and get a sense of what the board feels like. then, he set me up with a few more waves without any technique so he could get a sense of what i knew (nothing), and then he surfed a few waves too, so i could see what an actual surfer looks like. wave after wave, i tried to stand, and wave after wave i slipped off and fell. then, on the second to last wave i had told myself i was going to ride, i got up on my knees and got a little excited. knowing that my last wave was coming, i told myself i needed to stand up on the board. NEEDED TO. and guess what? i did! it might have been for like 2 seconds, but i totally stood up! it was exhilarating, amazing, insane, and i am so freaking stoked! i wish i had pictures of me actually standing up, but as my friend bronson said "you can't instagram from the board, meagen." so i had a few limitations, but i did snap a pic of me afterwards-with- the board, so there's that. 

all in all, it was an awesome (and exhausting) experience. surfing might just be the perfect sport because you have to concentrate on your next move (and trying not to die), and you're forced to get out of your own head for a bit and focus on something else. it's relaxing to feel the ebb and flow of the water, lying on the board, taking in the sounds, smells, feels. and even though i only stood up once, it felt great to not only try something new, but achieve the goal that i set for myself. thanks eddie!!

because this is the last post from florida, i couldn't resist a few more pics of the little one - i got her a book called 'surfer chick,' and she was dying to go out in the water and surf with dad. i think she might be better than me already...

day 28 - complete!

xoxo

meags