Stand up girl

Saturdays morning train was bustling with people. I stood all the way to Hikaduwa but, "it's all good" because it was Saturday and I was happy to be on my way to the beach. Little did I know a few of my buddies (Mary, Mil, and Taku) from Colombo were on the same train, a few cars back! It was POYA so lots of kids all dressed up to travel to temples to the south, people returning to their home villages. When we finally got to the station, I jumped off the train steps and was just looking around to see which way was what when I saw a handsome dude flashing his pearly whites. Sweet. That right there made my whole weekend.

The sea was a little rough, waves kind of big for me. Leo went out...
and I ended up going out but I wasn't in the right place (physically in the water and mentally in my own head) and got spit out pretty quick.

In the evening, I decided to suck it up and get out there again. I stayed out in the water for a magnificent sunset. Inky blue orange water and a sinking fireball sun setting in peach mandarin violet and then it was dusk, the sun was beneath the horizon and I was still out on my board, blissed out, never having caught a wave but paddling and positioning, learning about my body and my board and where not to be when big sets came rolling in. I made it in unscathed between big sets and felt sore and tight and happy as a saltwater clam for having been in the water on my board as the sun went down. It was heaven.

We met up with some friends Mary, Mil, and Taku for pingpong

beer and stories, dinner, chocolate icecream,
and watching the white crests of otherwise invisible waves and crash in the dark.

This morning, like every other morning in Hikaduwa, we woke up and went to sit on the barstools watching the two breaks, watching the waves, watching the riders. It's all becoming more and more meaningful to me. To watch the sets, count the waves, notice how they break, watch people's style position/paddle/popup/and ride....and fall and paddle back out....

After a good coffee and magazine reading session, Leo and I came back to WHY NOT and he headed out for some waves. I took my camera out and took a few shots. The sun was hot and I was itchin' to get on my board too so I switched my camera for my board and headed out. At the suggestion of a few local brothers, I stayed in the whitewater.

I walked my board out and waited until some waves came in. I laid down and looked over my shoulder at the breaking wave and then when the white water was close I paddled, felt myself lifted by the sweet power of the water and STOOD UP!! I scrambled back out, clumsy, getting wrapped in my leash, adjusting my bikini top, wiping my ratty stray hairs out of my face, and DID IT AGAIN, and again and again. It was soooooo cool.

It's humbling for me to learn anything physical in public. Not my favorite thing in the world by any means. So while the whitewater session was fun, afterwards I had to walk by a bunch of "the cool surfers" who were sitting nearby watching. They didn't smile, no thumbs up or words of wisdom or encouragement. Like junior high....anybody got an Invisibility Cloak? But I quickly regained the bliss of my first "stand up" session. I straightened my bikini top, wrapped my leash around my board, and went to find Leo to tell him allllll about it.

Mary, Mil, and Taku joined Leo and I in Big Daddy's van to Colombo this afternoon. We made it back by 6ish and now we're getting settled in for the week.

A week together in Colombo then Leo goes back to surf and I go to Geneva for a week of training.

Have a relaxing Sunday for those of you in the West, and a good Monday for those even further East.

Good vibes to all y'all,
the Dawgs