The first Wahine Wednesday was 3-13-13.  We had no idea that on that particular day, we would set a goal to surf every Wednesday for a year. 52 Wednesdays to be exact.

It started out like any other potential surf day. Roll outta bed, pack my stuff, get the kids off to school and meet the girls for a surf check.

It was just my one surf sister Tiare and me that day, doing the surfer shuffle.  Driving up and down the coast, checking different breaks for the best conditions. Our expectations were high but sadly, they were not destined to be met. We ended up at the Seal Beach pier parking lot and there, we balked at what we saw. Small, choppy, closed out, Seal Beach waves with the fog rolling in.

We were just about to turn our back on the surf to get on with our day and long to-do list, when we ran into Lorraine, with her infectious smile and perpetual positive attitude. Lorraine and her niece were going in despite the dismal circumstances.

After hemming and hawing we decided, “What the heck? Let’s just go!”

Thankfully, we put expectations aside and just went.

The funny thing was, even as it became colder and choppier, the smile on my face continued to grow. This little, low potential surf session ended up being a day that literally changed my life.

It brought the opportunity to connect with my friends, to vent, to discuss life’s struggles. The chance to dip my body in the crisp, cool ocean. The reminder that surfing is therapy for me.  And the realization that I was out of sync.  I was out of sync with surfing and in my life.

Surfing, with the ability to appreciate the small things, the unexpected, was just the thing to set me back on track.

[Tweet “Surfing = water therapy.”]

No wonder I had been feeling such discontent in my life. I hadn’t been surfing in weeks. I had been removed from this source of immense joy. This life force that revives me and meets so many of my needs . . . physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual.

Somehow in the day-to-day of life, I had let this vital element drift away.

I was in a stagnant place. I had been staying home with my kids for years in the double digits. I put a higher education and career on hold to do so. I was aching for something more.

Being a good mom was my number one priority and I wouldn’t change a minute of it. I had immense guilt for feeling like that wasn’t enough. I  loved my family greatly but continued to feel a void.

As we paddled out that day and sat on our boards between waves, we talked about everything . . . and nothing . . . and I became filled again with the spirit of the ocean. It didn’t take long.

And it was in this moment that we came up with the idea of surfing every Wednesday for a year and blogging about it.

Surfing and blogging for 52 Wednesdays. 52 Wahine Wednesdays.

We could of course surf other days as well, but every Wednesday we would get in the water regardless of the conditions. Rain or shine. 20 foot surf or flat as a lake.

No matter what, we would get in!

What I realized that day was that the ocean and surfing are a crucial part of who I am. I needed surfing and the ocean as much as I needed food or air.

I needed to set a goal like surfing every Wednesday for a year to keep me connected to my essence.

This goal invigorated me. It gave me a concrete target to put my energy into. Something that would hopefully help me find my stoke. My joy. Myself.

Frivolous?? Maybe. Unimportant? Possibly. But, could this endeavor change anything? Could it make a difference in my life?

Could doing something totally out of the box make a shift in the stasis I was feeling?

I was intrigued to find out just what could be learned on those 52 Wednesdays.

The 52 days that ended up giving me purpose and breathing new life into me.

Salty Kisses,

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