Scanning the horizon, he sizes up the surf and watches his fellow surfers catch a timely wave. The mix of time, tide, and sky creates a perfect scene that awaits his presence. As all of his senses are in tune, he inhales deeply, his mind making judgments, formulating decisions, about how he will proceed. Yet until he decides to step into the foam and paddle out to join them, he will remain a simple observer on the shore.
Just watching him stand in the surf for several minutes, I could only imagine his anticipation of the thrill ahead. I have no desire to surf (an old boyfriend once tried to teach me) but I have an odd pull towards the surf culture. If money were no obstacle (and I didn't need to worry about uprooting my kids), I would find a beach bungalow and become a photo journalist that immersed myself in the surf world. I know there are many before me that have done this and the stories they capture in photographs is something I would like to do. There is something about the athleticism, the freedom, the simplicity, the colors, the sand and grit, the texture, that I am drawn to. I find the passionate pursuit of the perfect waves, the traveling across the globe to find them, the man vs. nature thing all so fascinating. But most of all, I believe it just fits into that part of my soul that loves the sea air on my skin, the salt on my lips, and the sand between my toes.
And I feel somewhat empathetic to the surfer's senses. As I grow as a photographer, dream about what I really really want to do with this gift, I am often scanning the horizon, watching fellow "surfers" catch their timely waves. I know that unless I make some steps into the foamy waters and paddle out I will simply remain an observer on the shoreline. But I am not in a rush--I am still discovering what kind of surfer I would like to be. And I know that the waves I see others catching are not mine to ride, nor do I want them to be. There is a great wide ocean out there with waves that bear my name. That is part of the thrill and the anticipation I feel as I stand on the shore and wait for that perfect blend of time, tide, and sky to form for me. The swells are building and I will catch them in time.
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P.S. Here's my boy catching his first wave. I smiled as I peered through my borrowed telephoto lens. He discovered that he loved the ride and that he was good at it. Of course I knew he would. Maybe he's got the surfer soul in him?
1 comment:
i KNEW the minute you said you were going away that i would be wildly jealous when the photos started coming! but you must know that this is exactly what i needed to see (and imagine) after the crazy day i've had. i'm breathing that sea air, tasting the salt on my lips, I can hear the roar of the waves...thank you my friend.
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