Bobbin in the Ocean

Another semester begins. During Spring break one year during my undergrad, I traveled to California with my roomates. My roomates were rich kids from Thousand Oaks, which is just over some small moutains from Malibu if that's any indication. While I was home with them we went surfing. Granted I look more like a whale with two legs in some evolution gone completely wrong sort of way in a wet suit than my much more slender roomates. They even laughed at me cause I did the land lubber move and tried to put my wet suit on backwards. The gave me a long board and some general instructions and off I went to drown. As I half paddled half spastic motioned my way out, I was able to sit on the board and face out toward the vast ocean. I've always loved the ocean, mostly because of Jimmy Buffet songs, but that's another blog for another day. One of my favorite moments was just sitting on my board bobbing up and down in the ocean. I would panic each time a wave would come. The thrill of bobbing to the top and being able to see out to sea, while the crash of the wave breaking behind me gives me chills and brings a crooked smile to my face. Then I turned and tried to catch one of those waves. I would paddle for all the I was worth to either miss the wave or worse, to have the wave crash on top of me in a fury that only the ocean can bring. As I sit on my chair waiting for a new semester to start I've ridden a few waves, I've had a few crash on top of me. I've had moments in which I've ridden to the top and could see what it was all about. Even still, I get the chills and a crooked smile.