Yesterday I was lying on the window seat staring out at my mom’s lake (like a stressed out zombie🫠) when the phrase:
“I feel like we’ve been doing life all wrong…” popped into my head.
We just got back from a family vacation where we spent time:
🌊 🦀 exploring tide pools
🎢 adventuring on rollercoasters
🤣☕️ managing meltdowns between coffee shop stops (#reallife)
ultimately… feeling happy just living 😊
And as we jumped from beach town to beach town Collin and I looked at each other and thought:
“THIS is our lifestyle.”
(Not in location but in principle. A tangible example of our internal craving.)
And it’s not that surprising right?
Surf culture vs. slow living= same concept. different packaging.
Surf culture is all about a lifestyle free from:
conformity
the workweek grind
and societal expectations.
And slow living is all about a lifestyle rooted in intention, not obligation.
Same-same.
So seeing the surf lifestyle struck me:
1. First and foremost, with the focus on living life above all else.
Early one Monday morning we grabbed a coffee and croissant and sat on a rock overlooking the ocean. We watched surfer after surfer make their way down this long set of stairs, barefoot with their boards in hand. They stretched on the beach and then jogged out to sea for hours: Smiling. Excited. Alone and In-groups.
What lit me up here were their priorities. Counter to culture- their day started not in a rush. Not in work. But in presence and joy. In making time for their practice.
2. The deep life metaphor in riding the waves🌊- struck me next.
As I watched the surfers patiently wait for the “right” wave, work with what they had, try and fall sometimes- it made me ache for a practice that could viscerally (and subconsciously) engrain that concept into my mind.
I actually craved surfing this winter- for this exact reason. Surfing feels like a physical embodiment of the mindset I desire. A way to drop some of my tension and anxiety through flexibility, repetition and being. To get out of my mind, be present and rewire a new approach.
…. I’ve never done it before so this is all theoretical… and living in Cleveland… not really possible 🤣 so I’ve opted for swimming laps this year instead. But watching it in real life reignited that desire.
3. Last but not least, the idea of full lifestyle immersion- in community- has spurred more thought and conversation than I expected.
I’m finishing this post at a coffee shop after a deep conversation with my friend
. We both felt caught in a “What are we doing with our lives” swirl🫠 and immersion came up again and again for me.I kept thinking about these surf towns and life immersed (in-person, day in and day out) in community with likeminded individuals.
So of course my brain started looking for a way to make this happen… and I started spurting out ideas like:
Let’s put all of our life desires, assets and goals on the table- is there a way to reorganize them to access the life we crave- right now?
Or is this disconnect environmental? Do we need more immersion?
What if we rented cabins this summer and lived in community with other creative families. Trying on this lifestyle and seeing the impact it makes on us and how we’re feeling.
Would I be inspired to do my creative practice more. Could I better define what my “surfing” is?
OR are we feeling off because of the structures we’re in?
What would life look like in commune and collaboration with others? If our locations didn’t change but our interactions did? Supporting each other with our abilities and gifts versus money. Shifting business to trade as an exchange.
….. we talked for a while after lots of coffee… and when we talk- we go deep… so a lot came up ☕️🤣
I don’t have any answers. But I do feel like I have a little direction:
It feels like this all circles back to priorities, community and immersion. And it feels like something I want to revisit and redefine- especially within my Simplicity Excavation this month.
Plus I have two questions I’ll be working through:
What’s my surfing?
And where’s my immersion?
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