"Greener Grass" - A Surfing Meditation

"The grass is always greener over the septic tank."
- Erma Bombeck -

A strange phenomenon afflicts me.

If I describe it, you may recognize it too.

The other guy always gets the best waves...
Image courtesy of Brandon Compagne and http://unsplash.com

I think of it as "The Grass is Always Greener,"

It's epic, just a little north of me...
Image courtesy of Annie Spratt and http://unsplash.com

to use a common turn of phrase.

What do I mean by that?

I often feel as though the waves are breaking better just a little south, or a short paddle north, of my precise position. Sometimes, both south and north.

Looking to the south,

I see one guy after another take off and ride a good wave. I wait and wait, until finally, it looks like something good is headed my way.

But, no, it backs down, fades, and turns into a ripple.

At the sound of a breaking wave, I turn to the north just in time to see someone else make the drop and start cruising.

Why couldn't that have been me?

I can't quite get there in time.
Image courtesy of Lukas Budimaier and http://unsplash.com

The funny thing is, when I decide to head south, or when I move north, it’s almost as though a "cone of silence" follows me. As soon as I get to where the last great wave broke, good waves start breaking right on the spot I just left!

I've often said to fellow surfers: "Hey, I know two places where the waves break absolutely the best."

When they ask me where, I'm happy to tell them:

"The place I can't quite get to, and the place I just left."

Oh, well,

with a sport as great as surfing, what do I have to complain about?