Surfing is all about balance. You need the physical balance, the mental balance and you must learn to read and predict forces beyond your control and balance your respect for the ocean with your determination to catch bigger waves… or you will not succeed.
The same could be said for our daily lives as well. Life is a great big balancing act. You have to balance your job, your family, your finances and your personal time. Eventually, you learn to control the things you can to make them better everyday while respecting the things beyond your control so as not to waste precious moments dwelling on them… or you will not succeed.
Life too is much like catching that big wave. You have to be in the right place at the right time and at the exact moment a small window of opportunity opens… and you go for it. If you have prepared for this moment, you’ll never forget that ride for the rest of your life.
That is why tomorrow, I am eternally grateful for a loving and understanding wife who allows me to make an annual pilgrimage to the pristine waves of Costa Rica. I’m going on a surfari and it will be my fourth visit in four years.
For me, this is not only a time of great enjoyment, but also a time of annual reflection. On my 36th birthday, I will face west in the Pacific Ocean as the sun is setting and catch my last wave of the trip. It is here that I have taken time to clear my mind and search my soul. I will have considered where I have grown and where I need to improve. I will have thought about the balance and been energized for the goals that lie ahead. My focus for the New Year will have sharpened, my determination greatly strengthened.
But most of all, I will be thankful for a new day to make better the things I should done the day before.
There may be an opportunity to write in this blog if there is connectivity there, but it’s worth noting that most of my time will be in fairly rustic locations off the beaten path. Forgive me if I leave you hanging for a week – but I will do my best to report back here. (At least I do not anticipate the same backwards hospitality I got in Kuwait when my laptop disappeared!)
I also want to take a moment to thank another understanding wife who is allowing her husband Peter to make the pilgrimage with me. It’s not easy juggling a house full of kids so close to the holidays – so Kathleen and Mo, you guys are our heroes!
There is a saying in Costa Rica that implies well wishes to one another for the perfect balance of mind, body and spirit…
Pura Vida!
I can be reached for questions or comments at griffsnotes@foxnews.com.
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