Surfing the Turbulent Tides of Life

Surfing the Turbulent Tides of Life

Most of us have stood on the shore at some time and admired the wonder and beauty of Nature.  As the watcher we may often have been enchanted by the pure force and rhythm, drawn in by the mesmeric motion of the ocean waves.  Are those waves really chaotic and turbulent?  Or is the chaos and turbulence in our own minds, and has Nature got everything in hand?

We know that gravitational forces are at work when we look at the ocean and watch the tides going in and out.  The subtle energies are also at work when we observe our inner tides of thoughts and feelings as they go high and low.  Just as the pull of the moon is not obvious to the human eye, so too, the subtle energies that push and pull our moods are not obvious to us.  Perhaps this is because we pay more attention to what is happening without rather than what is happening within.

These ocean tides on the beach are obvious, they are tangible and they are visible.  But how do the inner tides reflect themselves in our life?

Some may be reflected in the form of:
Waste and Negative Thoughts
Mood Swings
Expectations
Boredom
Worry
Suspicion
Depression
Anger and Resentment
And much more…

Some of the outer tides that control our thinking and mood can be:
Past memories
Past experiences
Observations
Conversations
Other People’s Opinions
News and Social Media
Fashion and Celebrities

Surfing in the sea can be seen as purely a balancing act, backed up with practice and great self-confidence.  We need to first get out there, catch the wave, and then get on our surfboard and stay balanced.  So too, as we swim in the sea of life, it is imperative that we see every wave – every challenge — as a game and learn to enjoy the ride.  If we can be a confident surfer and ride those waves, we will be happy, but if we keep falling off the board, then of course we will resent those waves.

Enthusiastic surfers welcome each and every wave.  They don’t become afraid, and they don’t resist them, they are in the sea to swim and surf.  We know that life is as wide-open as the sea and if we do not learn to swim, we will get hurt or even go under and drown.

“When things go wrong, don’t go with them.”

Elvis Presley

Learning to manage our emotions is equivalent to learning how to swim.  Certain things are going to help us stay afloat once we enter the water, things like keeping a positive attitude, being flexible, adaptable and resourceful.  We need to keep practicing.  Practice makes us perfect!  There needs to be continual education and training, having an attitude and outlook on life that looks towards growth and learning will be a great asset.  If this is the case then we will feel fulfilled and purposeful.  Otherwise we will forever be left behind and start to feel like some old antique!

Another thing to note is that failures and rejection can also make us fearless.  There are many stories of people who in the beginning seemed to have failed whilst being on the journey.  People who had missed opportunities and never achieved their ambitions.  But on hindsight, they went on to become professional surfers in life and became inspirations for many others.  We have Abraham Lincoln, JK Rowling, Fred Astaire, Sidney Poitier, Dr Seuss, Walt Disney and George Lucas to name but a few who persevered despite those rejections. You see it was their failures that made them great, from that compost of failure and disappointment newness and new possibilities sprang.

“Anyone who has never made a mistake
has never tried anything new.”

Albert Einstein

Sometimes it is from our failures that we achieve our greatest learning, those failures can actually spur us on towards greater success.  When one path is blocked, then we are forced to rethink and take a different route.  Often this may be one that we would not have considered, but if truth be told, we are really happier with the way this one unfolds for us, more so than if we had achieved success on the journey of our choosing.  Therefore, a failure may be the best thing for us in the long run.

“Challenges are gifts that force us to search for
a new centre of gravity.  Don’t fight them. 
Just find a different way to stand.” 

Oprah Winfrey

If we can continue to be in the flow of life, we may find that we arrive at where we really want to be.  If our attitude to life is one of positivity and seeing opportunity, then we will have faith in the flow and that life really will deliver the best to us.  But if we resist life and the lessons, they will persist!  This is why it is so important for us to check our intentions, and where we are coming from and what is that we really want, not at the superficial surface level of life, but from deep within our heart.  What do we want?  And regardless of how it manifests, don’t we all just want to be loved and be happy in life?

It’s Time… to dust our surfboard down and gracefully enter the waters of life and positively embrace each wave on the journey.

© ‘It’s Time…’  by Aruna Ladva, BK Publications London, UK