The Spiritual/Life Journey as Surfing

Just yesterday, a client came up with the metaphor of surfing for what it is like to be on the journey of life.  Though I’ve never surfed, it makes a lot of sense to me.  We really aren’t in control of what waves life sends our way.  We do have the choice of whether to fight them, sink, or do the best we can to ride them with as much grace as possible! To ride them, we must be aware and attuned both to the wave and to ourselves, and have the courage to jump into the flow.

AND, we will not always catch it just right.  We may frequently get unceremoniously dumped and even beat up a bit – or a lot.  Still, we can choose how we react to the experience.  We can wallow in self-blame or self-pity, we can sink under the water and refuse to play again. Or, we can swim to shore, find our bearings and say, “Well, THAT didn’t work!  What can I do different next time? “  We might need to nurse our bruises for a while, but hopefully, eventually we’ll find the courage and confidence to try to catch the next wave a little more gracefully.

Mary Simon, Psy.D.

4 Responses - click here to join the conversation to “The Spiritual/Life Journey as Surfing”

1. Suzanne Mariner says:

   February 23, 2012 at 6:06 pm

   Thanks for these insights, Mary. I love the surfing metaphor, and the hopeful message that we have a choice about how we respond to life’s adversities!

   Reply
2. Mary Kaye Soukup McDonald says:

   December 3, 2012 at 8:33 am

   I’m struggling in my relationship. My husband is a pastor. It seems he gives everyone else attention and I get what’s left over.

   Reply
3. Jane Ilene Cohen says:

   March 1, 2013 at 9:34 pm

   Yes, I agree that surfing is a good metaphor for flowing in the life flow energy that we are all in the midst of. We can either learn to ride the wave or find ourselves in various stages of resistance and cutting off the flow of life.

   Reply
   • Mary Simon says:

     March 5, 2013 at 9:10 am

     Thanks for your response, Jane. The idea of getting caught in resistance to the flow is also important.

     Reply