Running down to the riptide

The dashboard of my car is littered with California State Beach parking passes. My knees are perpetually bruised. There is sand in every crevice of my life: the seats of my car, the foot of my bed, the corners of the shower and trapped in my ears. And this weekend late-sleeper is waking up early in anticipation just about every Sunday.

Oh yeah, and strangers say things to me like "How was the swell?" and "That's a sweet skeg!" like I know what they're talking about.





























My first time on a surfboard was a little over six years ago. My friends and I took a lesson at Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach, Fla. With the help of an instructor I got up right away, and BOOM. Like a bolt of lightening, I was ob-sessed. Never before and never since has something felt so absolute to me – I was meant to surf. It wasn’t that I was especially good, it just felt right. For all the reasons we moved to California, this might be my #1. We can pretend it’s about career opportunities and returning to my roots and all that, but really, it’s the surfing.

With my memory of that lesson, a few YouTube videos and a lucky surfboard borrowed from my landlord, I started hitting the waves in June. (Do real surfers say “hitting the waves?”) I felt instantly welcomed by my fellow surfers. They offered helpful tips and encouragement without me saying a word. Several have even timed the waves for me and told me when to wait, when to paddle, when to pop. Timing is everything, and those are the few times I’ve actually gotten up, even if only briefly. I could hug those guys for that. One surfer who obviously got a kick out of my climb-on-the-board, fall-off-the-board, climb-on-the-board routine said, “If you’re having that much fun doing THAT, you must be hooked!” Indeed. I could flounder about for hours and still have the time of my life.

I've even convinced Pat to try it.

The biggest surprise to me is how peaceful it is in the ocean. The shore is a turbulent place, but it's unusually calm just beyond the break of waves. Despite the many scary things that can catch you off guard out there – sharks, rip currents, jellyfish – the ocean triggers no anxiety in me. It’s a baffling effect.

The title for this post comes from what I call my surfing song. I hum it to myself as I wait in the quiet water for a good wave, and I play it every time on my way home, just as the day is beginning to warm up. My muscles like liquid, my hair softened by salt. I will always remember this as the summer that I ran down to the riptide.

Title lyrics – Riptide, Vance Joy