One Sure Thing

Steady feet, face gleaning in the spray mist, both arms reaching for the sides of the wave I ride in glory, as if in flight

Game on - balance, strength and instincts guide me through the tube, just ahead of the gravity that nips at my heels

This is not the first wave I've sailed through, endorphins raging with elation - nor will it be the last

But it's the inevitable splash that I most dread - the end of the road. The fall from grace

Pushing through the foam, I shield my head from the board that flings my way and try to distinguish up from down

Beneath the swirling surface, one moment expands and I feel the great silence, the quiet vastness of the universe, the source of all life

And then, breaking the surface, my lungs pull desperately, sucking air from the atmospheric bosom, born again

And try as I might, as I towel off, avoiding eye contact with bronzed spectators, I can think of only one thing:

My fall - the slip that led to it, the failure to recover and the miserable entry into the water, graceless and impotent

I vow to get it right next time, to push further along the crest, to find the perfect ending, resilient and enviable



Later that night, the weeping of my soul keeps me awake, not at the feebleness of my fall but at the heartbreak at having missed the glory of the ride

I rode that wave, with prowess, deft and agility and though there were errors, the ride itself was breathtakingly bold - not perfect, but ardent and admirable

And though I shouldn't have to, I remind myself: it wasn't about my performance, though there will be those who judge me

It was about the pure joy of the ride, the ecstasy, the freedom and the complete aliveness that I experienced

I vow today to keep my sights on the joy of being - the passion of the ride

And next time, I'll resist the urge to look back, and focus on one sure thing:

The sublime verve of the here and now