How not bodysurfing anymore has been good for me
I am a slow learner, but the ocean is infinitely patient with me. I am lucky enough to live near the ocean; a three or four mornings a week swimming habit evolved into an everyday commitment seven years ago. Over that seven years the commitment changed from being recreational and social to a grounding practice that continues to nourish and surprise me. This is a little about how my soul is being transformed by that practice, not because of what I’m doing as much as what exposing myself to nature intentionally and relentlessly is doing for my appreciation of how I operate in the world. Why I stopped bodysurfing and embraced dipping (or what my swim community calls bollarding) I love the feeling of riding a wave; whether on a board, or with a handplane and fins; there are few experiences that give me greater joy. I still pursue that feeling, but not in the early mornings. One of the reasons is because I became attracted to being in the ocean before dawn, while it’s still dark. Swim...
