Being alone doesn’t always mean you’re lonely. Photo: Chris Immler
I miss the wind and rain. Not because I enjoy the feeling of the two on my skin, or because I like the color when they are in the sky together. No, it’s because I know what these two things bring when they are together. I miss looking at the forecasts and the buoy data four times a day. I miss getting my wetsuit and boards ready the night before a potential swell. I miss the anticipation of possibly catching the wave of my life tomorrow, just fiddling with my equipment to pass the time. I miss waking up at 5 am knowing it’s 14 feet on the buoy and high tide’s at 7 am. I miss driving to the surf and passing my friends who just finished their session, hoping they scored but not too good. And I miss hoping the waves will be all-time when I hit the beach. I miss suiting up in my wetsuit and hiking 45 minutes through the woods to get to the perfect point. I miss calling my friends into awesome waves and telling everybody who didn’t make it out that they missed the best day of the season. I miss the feeling of taking off on a steep wave. I miss the ecstasy of a big bottom turn and knowing you preplanned your lip maneuver perfectly. I miss the sensation of doing a frontside hack and knowing it just feels so right. I miss dodging exposed boils and negotiating logs in the lineup. I miss getting thrown over the falls and breaking the surface gasping for air. I miss paddling into waves that are out of my comfort zone. I miss being scared…
Don’t get me wrong and label me a summer hater, for that is not the truth.
I like the sun and the feeling it gives you when it’s fingers touch your bare skin. I like how everyone looks sexier in summer and under the sun. I like how the light starts early in the morning and doesn’t leave until late at night. I like that everyone seems happier in the summer and I like that a smile coincides with summer weather.
I like the summer. Hell, who doesn’t? I might even love it.
But I love surfing more.
