The Surfing Stoke

Surfing Stoke:

I don't think that there is anything more recharging for the soul then what happened for me this evening. I pulled up on the corner, looked out over the railing, and saw lines rolling in and peeling off the point. In an instant I can feel my heart jump and a huge smile come across my face as I pop the trunk and grab my suit. In record time, the full suit in on and the board is under arm as I jog down the street to the stairs.

Paddling out, I am all smiles. The clean lines. The easy strokes to lift myself over the oncoming swells. The head nods and waves from friends saying hello. These all give a feeling of calm and excitement all at the same time. 30 seconds out and I'm already paddling into my first wave, popping up with ease and looking down the line. 3 others have joined me on this wave (this surf spot has a history where this is "sort-of" ok) and we all head to the right.

Much like the moment of arrival to the spot, the excitement and instant recharge of riding a wave light up my soul like nothing else out there. They call it "stoke" and for me that brings images of an old kiln oven where you had to use that blowing thing, starts with an "A" I think, to stoke the fire for heat. Well our soul is the fire that is stoked by surfing and every surfer walks away from a session, no matter how good or bad, with a stoked soul and a recharged feeling that life is actually pretty good.

I surf till an hour past sunset when the lines coming in start to blend with the horizon, making the inbound swells look like flat sea until the set is upon you and there is much scrambling to turn boards and drop in quickly. I jog back to my car and feel a sense of accomplishment for my evening surf. A strange feeling I know but trust me, ask any surfer out there and I bet they get what I mean when I say that. My day, week, month feel immediately better and wow, I'm hooked again to surf for years to come.

Surf hard. Respect the Beach. Pack your trash.