Even though I won’t turn fifty-two for a few more weeks, I thought now might be a good time to make my birthday wishes and intentions clearly known. I’ve been talking about learning to surf for the last couple of years and this year I mentioned to John what a great idea a few surfing lessons might be for my birthday so aside from parking a surfboard in various parts of the house as a reminder, I think there can be no mistaking what I hope to be doing on or around September 10th.
Surfing is big here in Cornwall and I don’t want to let the opportunity pass me by while I’m still physically able to give it a go. I do have to say that the last time I participated in a water activity more strenuous than swimming, I tore a hamstring and glut muscle while water skiing. It was so painful I thought I had broken my hip and I’m sure I didn’t make as much noise giving birth as I did after I hit the water and in the hours that followed.
I learned a few things from that experience though with one being, no showing off, and the importance of listening to my body when my muscles feel fatigued. Some sports become dangerous if you ignore the fatigue factor as I did that day or if you allow cockiness to overcome common sense.
There are loads of surf schools here so it’s just down to choosing the right one for me. All of them offer group or individual lessons and I can’t decide which might be more fun.
I’ll leave you with a few photos of folks in search of a perfect Cornish wave … I’m off to search for a swimsuit, an experience in frustration for me no matter my age and level of fitness. My one consolation is that it will be under a wetsuit for most of the time.
Caitlin Kelly is talking about learning new things today too as she whacks a few balls into next year so here’s a link if you’d like to have a look.
Gifts Of The Journey 
You go girl! All I can think of is how cold the water is…wetsuit or not, but the key to staying vital and interesting is to learn new things. I can’t wait to read about this in an upcoming blog! Welcome back by the way.
Thanks Lani, I expect the water to be very cold … brrr and I will certainly be blogging about the experience.
How cold is that water? Great b-day idea, sounds like a lot of fun!
September is the warmest month for swimming and water sports, Suzanne. These photos were taken last September and while it was warmer, it was by no means warm.
Ooooh, what enticing images, make me want to try too! Good luck when you give it a go and I look forward to hearing about it via your blog.
I’ve just e mailed your post to my husband (heading towards 50) as he tore his hamstring on Sunday water skiing on Loch Earn. He is in such pain and his leg is black and he may not be able to drive for 8 weeks, nightmare! So I agree with your advice about listening to your body!
Thanks for stopping by, Niki and for leaving a comment. I hope your husband enjoys a speedy recovery with no lasting weakness. My leg has never been quite as strong as it once was. I should have followed my physical therapist’s instructions a bit better. 🙂
nice dogs…?
Not my dogs, Kimball, but they do look good in the shot.
How exciting & I hope you have a lot of fun!
Thanks Leah, I’m sure there will be pictures and a story to tell afterwards.
Very brave of you! I’ve yet to try surfing, so will be very interested to hear about your progress. The next thing I want to try is a climbing wall. I know I am too scared to really rock climb but I’d like to try it indoors at least.
And I did see a bunch of hockey skates at Goodwill yesterday. I’ve been wanting to try ice hockey for ages.
Caitlin ~ I love indoor climbing for the convenience and for the way it requires total focus. Aside from a good yoga class, it’s the most relaxed I ever feel after a workout. Plus,it’s one best ways I know for getting great muscle tone in a short period of time too. Outdoor climbing is certainly more exciting, but it’s not always possible so I like having a climbing gym close by. That’s one of the things I miss about Atlanta.
I saw a lot of shops with swimsuits and wetsuits at Polzealth .. I love that beach .. lots and lots of surfers there! I would love to do lots of things, like learn to ski, .. go to yoga, blimey I don’t think climbing gym is for me LOL
I am going to comment on your last post, but I am away and now using someone elses pc, my laptop has broken 😦
Oh cool! I’ve always wanted to learn to surf too! Have fun 🙂
That sounds fun! When we moved to northern California, I thought about learning to surf, but never made it happen.
I liked having two posts from you when I checked my RSS feeder. I can relate to trying to figure out how/if to talk about deeper things. Since my husband has a much higher privacy meter than mine, it’s been an interesting balance, even with an ‘anonymous’ blog. Like you, if I can’t talk about the ‘real’ stuff, it’s hard to write at all. Right now I feel like I’m doing lots of baby filler because the deeper stuff is relational and hard to write about. We barely have time to discuss our schedules, so I’m choosing to not add stress by asking if blog posts are ok to publish. It’s a tough balance, I respect the line that you’re walking.
What OTR girl said.
my cousin loves to surf. He is more than 10 years older than you. He lived in the NW Territory of Canada all his working years and then retired to Panama where he lives a few steps away from the ocean and surfs almost every day.
I wrote the last comment before I knew that my cousin had been doing consulting work at a oil refinery north of Edmonton, Alberta. There was a terrific explosion and he was burned over 50 % of his body. He has had 2 skin graft surgeries and is doing well but might not surf again.