a summer or two ago i read a book called saltwater buddha by jaimal yogis that i loved.  my favorite favorite favorite part was about paddling in surfing as it related to the "paddling" we do in life.  and the thrill of actually riding the wave as it relates to the highs, if you will, of life.  (note, i've only been surfing once!  just so y'all know.  i'm no surfer.  but the story was still great and the metaphors resonated with me.)

lately, i've been doing so much paddling.  paddle.  paddle, PADDLE like hell, it sometimes feels like.  i often remind myself of this excerpt, but i think i need it more lately.  you?

"But the more I thought about it, the more I realized every surfer has to like paddling, at least a little. This was because extremely little of each surf session is spent actually standing up on your surfboard on a wave—maybe one percent—so if you’re looking to have a good time it’s essential to find a way to enjoy paddling, or at least good-naturedly bear it. And in that way, I thought, surfing is kind of a good metaphor for the rest of life.


The extremely good stuff—chocolate and great sex and weddings and hilarious jokes—fills a minute portion of an adult lifespan.


The rest of life is the paddling: work, paying bills, flossing, getting sick, dying."

in other words, it's all the paddling that gets us to the extremely good stuff, makes it so much more luxurious and special.  so here's to paddling.  and then to riding some pretty sweet waves too.