Category: December 2011

Surfing, Misplaced Christmas and a Weird New Year

First, I want to tell you, that two mornings ago, my friend Jeffro and I, did a dawn patrol. We surfed alone, for probably thirty minutes. I have not experienced this here, in years.  It was awesome; the waves, the water, the sky, the coastline and no people to distract my focus. It was glassy, with an offshore wind.

My husband and I, used to surf, Playa Avellanas, by ourselves, quite a bit. I’ll never forget the day, we paddled out, at the river mouth, and I paddled right in to the first wave, of a clean up set. It had to be ten feet. I don’t expect that to ever happen again. I didn’t have time to think. I just went. And there was not one person out there for me to worry about hitting. In recent years, I’ve paddled and backed out of more than one wave; because there were a line of surfers, at the bottom of the wave, looking up at me. For years, we enjoyed surfing with an average of  twelve people in the water, in front of Lola’s, a local restaurant, which used to be Freddie’s. We had many days with two or three other people at the river mouth.

This is Jeffro.

I am so grateful for all of those days, in the water, with few people. Those were the days. And the older I get, the more I know, these are the “good ole days”. That kind of attitude goes a long way when your session is “invaded” by fifty people. That’s what happened two days ago. But I was happy. I got my waves and I got out. It was a great morning. Continue reading Surfing, Misplaced Christmas and a Weird New Year

OxyContin for Surfers

I don’t think so!

I had a thought, for a post. One that I am passionate about. It concerned health and healing. As I was writing, in another room, the newscasters were droning on. It caught my attention. Once again, they were talking about Facebook and Blogging, and how no privacy exists today. The government flags certain blogs, because of language. Buzz words. Government is probably one of the buzzers. Who knows? That thought inhibits me.My original idea was; the use of drugs goes against the concept of  FREE SPIRIT.  A soul surfer would never want drugs!

Hilda JoAnn

This is my mother, Hilda JoAnn. Today is her birthday. I’m thinking of her. I am proud to be a part of her lineage. She was, “born at the right time”. Which was December 27th, 1933. She flew away, January 16th 2007.

I use to dream of Julie Andrews being my mother. I just knew, that if she were my mother, I would be so happy. And, of course, I would have a wonderful voice. Life would be a musical.

Being Hilda’s daughter, was kind of like being in a chorus line. She was our leader and we were all her followers, but I couldn’t dance and I couldn’t sing.

My mother was a phenomenal woman. She was Irish Catholic. She got married at the age of fourteen, had five children, and made a fortune. How did she do that?

She lived with my father, until widowed. They were a team. I watched them work, play, laugh, and fight together. They played a lot of cards. She took us to church, but didn’t go, until the end of her life. She waited on the priest to receive her rights, before she would leave.

She answered the altar call, when we went to hear Joel O’Steen preach. She acted like it was a convenient time to stretch her legs. She wasn’t fooling me.

She told me, that no matter how bad things are; the sun will rise again in the morning.

She had, what people would call, a good attitude.

She also said, “if you don’t have something good to say about someone, then don’t say it at all.”~ she practiced that.

She was smart. She must have been. Having limited formal years of school, she was educated. She was an avid reader. I never knew, until I was grown, that when she was in her reading chair; she had ear plugs in. I told you she was smart.

She wasn’t scared of Y2k. She knew her math. She owned paper, and pencil.

She outran the IRS, but they caught her, after her death.

I never saw a grey hair in her head.

I believe my mother was a great example, of being dealt the hand called life, and playing it well.

She gave me my love of the ocean.

So, I surf. Who needs to sing?

P.S. She was a good cook.

P.S.S. She was a great cook.

Looking back~

This is Susan Nicks~my first spiritual teacher~she taught me that everything I  needed to know, I had learned in kindergarten. I don’t believe our paths crossed, by accident. I do believe in God. God is alive and God lives through me.

Just the other day I had the feeling of looking to my future. Today I have the feeling of looking back. It has been quite a year. Like every year, there’s always good happening and things that are not so good. What I have come to realize is, it’s what I focus on the most, is going to determine the overall mood of my life. So,why not focus on the good? It’s a choice.

There was a time in my life, when I can honestly say that I did not possess that choice. I was ruled by all things external.

Due to circumstances, I found myself in the company of people who knew a better way to live. It involved becoming unenmeshed. I do not have to be homogenous with those around me.

When people call you rebellious or lazy, what they are saying is, they cannot control you.

It was required in my home, for everyone to think along the same lines: to do things in a unified time frame. That was impossible for me. Not only with my family of origin, but in other social settings. I always wondered, why in the world should I wear my hair like that, or drive a car like that, or live in a house like that. Just to be like everyone else?

However, if you’re the odd man/woman out, it can be  a trial to say the least.

Then, it happened, for me, “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear”.

I learned to ~ Let Go and Let God ~ One Day at a Time ~Relax. I let life unfold; I practice, Live and Let Live ~ To Thine Own Self Be True ~ Love and Service…People First, Money  Second  (Suzie Orman). And in the words of  Scarlett O’Hara, “Why do today, what you can put off until tomorrow” ~ Slow down you move to fast, you’ve got to make the morning last (Paul Simon) ~ have a good day, it’s really all you have (me).

Life is not a competition.

For twenty-four years, I have made New Years’ Resolutions. I know what I am going to resolve, in my life, this year. In looking back, I feel strong in looking forward. And whatever I do, I don’t have to do it alone.

If I have a choice, which I do, then, why not?

!I Ride~a ROZO!

I ride a Rozo. On the bottom of my board, pencilled in, is the word TEAM. When I first saw that, I felt as if, I had waited all of my life, for that moment. I felt recognized. I’ve ridden so many waves in my life. I have been in a thousand paddle battles. I’ve had to fight for my waves, and maneuver my path, to place myself at the ocean. I’ve paid my dues.

            At different times in my life surfing was out of my reach ~ but, not anymore.

This picture hangs on the wall in Rozo’s workshop. It’s from a surfing magazine.

He was my role model as a kid, and he is still my role model.

He is a focused and humble man.

This is Tommy, Rozo’s brother. He covers the shaped foam, with fiberglass. This guy is so fast. It was fascinating to watch him work. Continue reading !I Ride~a ROZO!

With patience………………

With patience you possess your soul. Luke 21:19

I became aware of this scripture, in the Kings James Bible, with the help of a friend. I think of it often, because it rings true for me.  They are important words to me.

I was taught the concepts of “acceptance” and “cease fighting everyone and everything”, and these ideals have helped to re-create my life.

There’s another saying that was a guiding force for years.  “Patience and Perseverance” is the key to all success.

But they all seem to pale in comparison, to the promise, of possession of your soul, through the practice of patience.

Every day is fraught with opportunities to practice patience. Today  was a good one.

On our way to Playa Avellanas the surf sled broke down, on the side of the road. We were there for three hours. Fortunately, one of us is a good mechanic. We all new the swell was here, and we really wanted to get into the waves. But we stuck together and helped in the repair~~~Did your mother ever tell you, that you could really help,  by being quiet~~~~~~~

Our plight was made easier, by breaking down, right in front of a coffee shop.

This picture of my friends, brought to mind, images from my childhood. I would go with my mother to the closest, grocery store. We lived, “out”, and had to drive miles, for any conveniences. I don’t remember exactly how old I was, but I would guess nine or ten. There would often be kids sitting on the curb. I took these children to be street urchins, and I wanted to be one! In my mind, they portrayed freedom and independence, and that’s what I wanted.

There’s another saying,” be careful of what you wish for”.

After the car was repaired, which seemed sort of miraculous, by Costa Rican standards, my friends and I parted ways; not much worn for the wear. They went on to surf and I decided to start again tomorrow. I can wait.

That’s one of the great things about living in CR. The waves keep rolling in. I’m all about the saying, never leave good surf. However, today I never got there to leave it. So all is well.

The New American Standard Bible translates Luke 21: 19 into, ‘By your endurance, you will gain your life”.

That’s just not the same.

I wish Tom Sawyer were here and I could get his opinion.

What do you think?

Where is Grandma?

 Grandmas Gone Surfing

Grandma’s Gone Surfing. What a great title for a blog!

The GGS Blog, was my initial inspiration. There are five years of posts, written by a woman, who was not a grandma, but a mother, who had started surfing at the age of forty three. She was a good writer, with the heart and soul, of a surfer. Her writing style was intriguing. You always wanted to know what happened next. Continue reading Where is Grandma?

Creating good days!

Creating good days today; creates good days, tomorrow. It makes happy yesterdays. Happiness and good days are key ingredients to longevity and well-being. How many times do you hear that idea tossed about?

Two evenings ago riding back from the surfbreak, Playa Avellanas, my friend and I got into a bit of a heated conversation about aging and surfing, competitiveness and illness. He kept talking and I kept talking back. My voice kept getting louder and louder. I was working hard to get my point across.

I have never bought into the widely accepted concept that illness is a part of the aging process. Forget it! Your beliefs are your strengths or weaknesses. Come to think of it, I never accepted the idea of plucking my eyebrows either. It just didn’t make sense, to stand in front of a mirror and inflict pain on myself.

That being said, before I left the States a month ago, I saw Piper Austin on a local news show. She had just won the Girls~East Coast Champion Title. Not bad Piper! She was asked, what advice she would give to a surfer, who wanted to improve. Her immediate response was yoga.

Cling to what makes sense.

Hence:

My new yoga teacher,

Yesterday, I started out my day with a sattva yoga class. I know that as the years pass, if I don’t do something, I will continue to loose my flexibility. Everyday is a good day, to do something good for yourself!

Later in the day, I was back at Playa Avellanas, catching waves.

Does this make sense to you?

WARNING: do not believe these three downtrodden, mistaken myths; that you will become sick as you age, that surfing is only for the young and that you had to start surfing when you were a kid.

Life is what you make it. Have a good day!

Namaste

Did I make myself clear?

Mental Health?

I once read an interview, in a surf magazine, A young kid, lived with his parents. He was asked about dividing his time between California and Hawaii. His answer was, when I’m on the Island, I’m on the Island and when I’m on the Mainland, I’m on the Mainland. I had no idea how those words were going to replay in my mind. They became a guiding mantra to help keep it together through the last ten years.

I’m not sure what mental health is really. The dictionary says that, sound mental health, is ” the ability to think and behave in a normal and rational manner,”. Well who says what is normal.

When in Rome do as the Romans do.

When I came here, I wanted to assimilate into the culture. After being here a while, I found out how hard that can be. I went through a stages of trying to figure out what a “gringo” really is. There’s numerous definitions.

Many things in life here have, drove me crazy, which I soon learned does not translate in Spanish. Neither does raining cats and dogs.

Year in, year out, I’ve seen families come and go. They want it to be like it is at home. So they go home, eventually.

I fit in here, on my corner.

Here is an example:

This is my beloved stove. It’s practical for living here in the tropics. I make coffee on this stove. When I cook, I make a lot of one pot meals. And as you can see I have a blender in the background; another must, for batidos (smoothies). There’s so much fresh fruit here and there’s a vendor right down the road. For years, I’ve not wanted anything more than this.

IMG_0509

Today, I went to town and purchased this stove top, with an oven. Is this what qualifies me as part of the human race? I don’t know. I once had an empty space, in my kitchen, where my stove had been. When my sister saw it, she was horrified. Her comment was, “You can’t have a house without a stove.” I went out and bought a stove. I couldn’t shake the pressure of her comment. I didn’t want anyone to think I was crazy.

That was a long time ago.

The stove is really for Mary. Mary, Nestor and her two children live here with us and she is a good cook! Now I’d be crazy to not buy her a stove. Wouldn’t I?