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               In Flirting with Forty, one of my favorite movies, the super hunky surf instructor says to Heather Locklear, “Sometimes you have to step outside of your comfort zone to catch the wave of your life.”  I couldn’t agree more.

               Every year around the time of my birthday, I like to do something that assures me I’m still living my life and not just going through life existing on autopilot.  Sometimes it’s checking something off of my very lengthy bucket list, sometimes it’s embarking on an unknown adventure, and sometimes it’s trying something new.

               They say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans,” so, this year, I signed up for a surfing lesson with a friend.  Technically, I had tried surfing about five years ago in Mexico, but it wasn’t an official lesson, the waves were pretty big, and there were jagged rocks sticking out of the water everywhere.  I knew it was not going to go well when my instructor had advised, “Just don’t hit the rocks.”  There was no steering wheel on the board, so I wasn’t sure how he expected me to avoid the rocks; but he was a hunky, older version of the surf instructor in Flirting With Forty, so I rolled with it.  Needless to say, I never got up, and it was bleeping scary.

               Because of my past attempt, I was pretty nervous about the birthday lesson this year.  Just the idea of getting my hair wet made me uncomfortable, but prancing around in a wetsuit in public didn’t do much for my self-esteem either.

               Once we got wet-suited up, the petite, ponytailed, ex-gymnast instructor had us put our boards on our head and carry them to the sand.  Seriously, this was the hardest part.  My scrappy arms were burning, and I struggled to hold the giant board on my head.  Adding to my struggle was my need to constantly suck my stomach in while prancing under the board in that wetsuit, so this walk to the sand turned into a major workout.

               Once we got to the sand and dropped our boards, we were instructed where to lay on the board and how to stand up.  The trick is to go from laying flat on your tummy to pushing your butt up into downward-facing dog, and you then bring one leg forward into a lunge.  Well, my leg didn’t want to go very far forward, so I just grabbed it and pulled it forward.  After the third time, the instructor noticed what I was up to and told me that wasn’t going to fly.

               After instructing us on how to fall off the board (I kinda checked out on that part because I had no intention of doing that), we were off to the water.  As soon as we got knee deep, we were instructed to lay on the board and paddle out.  At my lesson five years ago, paddling had been super hard.  Maybe it was because of the tsunami-sized waves.  In comparison, we were at what my fellow Michiganders would call a bunny hill this time.  Paddling out was easy!  My scrappy arms barely even noticed!

               Once we were out, the instructor would stand next to our board and give us a push when the wave came and then tell us to stand up.  Easy, huh?  Not.  So…much…to remember.

               Technically, I got up on my first try, but not for long, and it wasn’t pretty.  The board started to turn and, again, I had no steering wheel, so I quickly lost my balance, and the unthinkable happened:  My hair got wet.

               Having gotten past the worst part, the next twenty attempts showed some improvement almost every time.  There was still plenty of hair wetting in between but, the more you do things, the easier they get. 

               I guess that’s kinda how life is.  Stepping outside of your comfort zone is scary but, the more you do it, the easier it gets.  If you’re not trying new things or stepping outside of your comfort zone, you obviously don’t have any problems.  Everything is smooth sailing.  But are you really living?  They say the only people who don’t have problems live in a cemetery, meaning you’re already dead.   As for me, I’ve got plenty of problems, so I must be doing something right.

Admittedly, dropping everything midlife and moving across the country to California was my largest step outside of my comfort zone; but all of my other accomplishments before that were smaller steps outside of my comfort zone that helped me build up to this one.  My most exciting payoff I’m hoping to gain from this move?  Probably not winning the gold cup in a surfing competition, but I’m not-so-secretly hoping to run into the hunky surf instructor in Flirting With Forty walking around town.  I’m right next door to Hollywood, right?  Of course, I’d have to step outside of my comfort zone to talk to him, but that’s another story.

Learning to surf was fun.  When you finally get up and ride the wave, for a short time, you feel as if you’re a part of that wave as you fly over the water.  You feel a connection to something bigger than yourself, and it gives you a rush that I struggle to further describe.  I can see why so many people here in California enjoy surfing, and I would definitely do it again.

May you all catch the wave of your life by stepping outside of your comfort zone, using every gift you were given, and living your best life!

Coming soon! Leviathan, Book 3 in the Harbor Secret Series, in an audiobook format!