Zero Injuries!

I hit the beach late.

When I was walking into the water a stray surfboard was tumbling toward the shore.

Sure enough, there was a surfer working his way in, chasing his stray board.

I stopped it.

“I guess the session is over!” the young man quipped, smiling.

When I was done with the session and headed in, I noticed another loose board–tumbling ahead of me, toward the land.

I chased it, riding some small waves.

I spend so much time trying to catch difficult waves I forget how much better I’ve gotten riding small waves

I met the runaway yellow board. I flipped it right-side up. I don’t ride these but I have seen so may surfers handle their boards I know what to do.

A surfer was soon enough there, smiling and saying a “Thanks dude!”

I don’t have a photo. We were out of range of the surf cam.

An hour separated the first board rescue and the second.

In between I had some fun. Caught a few chaotic waves.

The chaos explained how those surfboards got loose.

It’s fun to have novel adventures in the water. Dolphin sightings. Sea lion sightings. Seeing folks I know. Seeing Drone Dude Ed’s drone overhead.

A stray surfboard seems like a fun adventure. But it’s dead serious.

A board loose like that could really hurt somebody. Could hurt me if I didn’t see it coming at me.

My aunt got hit with her board in the 1970s. Required brain surgery.

And last year a surfer was coming out of the water and asked for my help. He’d been cut by a fin on his board.

This is why I have rules for myself.

When I start getting tired I intone to myself “I am tired.” If I make an error, I mark a strike. Three strikes? I get out.

If I get in the way of a surfer, I say to myself: “that’s an error.”

A strike can even just be having the thought: “I think I’m done.”

No matter if the waves are great. No matter if I’m not tired.

When I’ve ignored those strikes? That’s when bad things happen.

Every day a new lesson.

Here’s today’s data, from Strava:

Thanks for reading.

Here’s to bloodless lessons.