a watcher

The wind has finally calmed down and the sun is out! I am out walking barefoot in the sand. I get to the Hermosa pier and notice the surfers out. I am walking along the water with my head turned 90 degrees to watch the waves. I almost run straight into a surfer on the beach who is about to head in, but look up just in time. I make up that he is amused with me because he waves his hand and says hello. I keep walking and watching and then just choose to sit down right there and watch.

It is so amazing to watch! I am sitting in front of 3 surfers. They each have short boards and no leash. The guy with the black board is the most exciting to watch. He carves up and down the waves with grace. It looks like he is in slow motion almost. He does some tricks too, like 360 spins, or a spin in then a change in direction going back down the wave the opposite way. I am laughing and smiling, my eyebrows furrow watching their moves. It is the best time. I had planned on taking a long walk, instead I take a shorter one and became a watcher.

I have never done this before, been a watcher. I was always a doer. That is how I learned, by doing. I remember when I first moved to California in Ocean Beach of San Diego. Same as today, I would take walks along the beach and look up and see surfers and think I want to do that. I may have watched for a few minutes but less in awe and more in envy. When I finally did learn to surf, I still never really watched anyone in admiration. I would be in the water with friends and when they caught waves I was happy for them, but really I wanted to be them. I wanted to be the one on the wave. I never just sat and watched people. If the surf was too big for me, did I sit and watch the guys that were taking it on? Nope, I hopped back in my car and moved along. And this is not just surfing I am talking about, in all aspects of my life I have previously been only a doer.

These days I watch everything. I watch seagulls and get blissed out. I laugh at them. Notice the differences among them. I see their beauty and grace. I watch the water. I watch the rippling of the waves. The strength, the gentleness. I watch the dolphins that glide in and out, making me feel like I just bought the Wonka Bar with the golden ticket. I saw the dolphins! I watch the clouds. Their shapes and sizes and movements. I watch the colors of the sky and how it changes and blends together. I watch kids creating their worlds and their parents shining next to them. I watch. And I see.