What I Learned Surfing in Costa Rica

I was so excited to fulfill my life time goal of learning to surf. Ever since I was a young boy living in Hawaii I have wanted to learn to surf. It is now official! I now can surf and I have joined a very elite group of athletes. I have always heard surfers talk in a language different than the rest of us. How surfing has a huge impact in their lives. On some level it is a religion to surfers. This became very clear to me! The surfing life style is a religion. A life style, a way of viewing the word that brings life into perspective. What is really important! This attitude or view has truly changed my life.

While traveling in Costa Rica I quickly became aware of how much we have here in the United States and how much we put importance on things that really are not that important. We have forgotten in this country what life is really about! What is really important! This has led to a country that takes more antidepressants, has a high abuse of narcotic prescriptions and one of the most unhealthy and obese populations in the world. Costa Rica is a beautiful country. Our location was a very under developed and from financial stand very poor. With the average worker making $3 dollars an hour these people do not have much in material things or what we would call comforts of life. With that said, I never met someone there that did not greet me with a smile and a warm welcome. Not once did we meet someone depressed or mean or show a negative attitude toward us. Everyone so warm loving and genuinely happy! We were welcome in like family everywhere we went. Now this could also be a reflection of our attitude as well. We also noted how clean everything was. The public restrooms were spotless. We Americans are pigs by the standards in we encountered.

One of our new friends we met staying at the house with us made the comment how good of friends the five us were. How we helped each other. We were kind to everyone and not in competition with each other. We would help each other and share with each other what we were learning and how to be better surfers. Truly a solid group of genuinely good friends! Brothers from another mother! Never have I smiled so much or laughed so hard! So this caused me to reflect on why this was and what was driving and evolving to be my personal paradigm shift on this trip.

So what did I learn?

1) Happiness comes from within. Not from other people. Not from material things. But deep from within your inner sole! Pure Vida! Practice Aloha! No worries! This is the foundation to a great life.

2) Live life! Love life! Love yourself! Love one another. Hum. Sounds a lot like the teaching of Christ. The One and only commandment that all other commandments hang in the balance! If you do not live by this one and only one commandment you cannot get into to heaven despite living all others perfectly. Just think about it! If you are living by this principal Love One another, is there really any need for any other commandments? You do not hurt those you truly love! You are willing to give everything freely to those you truly love. Being a father the love I have for my children and what I would do or give to my children has not boundaries.

3) Give of yourself freely without expectations of anything in return.

4) Smile and laugh as much as physically possible!

5) Do not judge. It is not my job! Leave it to the higher power.

6) Do not exclude. Be accepting of one another. Practice “Being kind rather than being right”.

7) Listen more talk less.

8) You will never regret time spent with family friends and loved ones.

9) Ben Franklin was right “Beer (wine) is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!” Even the Mormon word of wisdom teaches us this. See http://puremormonism.blogspot.com/2... for details. Never miss an opportunity to sit down at a table break bread eat a meal share a cold one and a talk story with the one’s you love. There is no better way to learn about each other’s life experience grow relationships and make new friends!

10) Live breath and drink in Life! Stand in Awe in what life has to offer!

11) Keep it simple STUPID!

12) Help your fellow travelers. Protect them when its needed listen with an open mind and loving heart give support to those in need of your support and strength. Be the kind of person/friend you would want others to be for you.

13) There are a lot of dementors out there. People that will suck the life right out of you. People that will take advantage of you. They will do everything in their power to see you hurt or even try to destroy you in all kinds mean and evil ways. Learn to forgive and move on. Learn the lesion they were sent to teach you. Never make that mistake again. Cut them out of your life. Your circle of influence and trust is much smaller but stronger and better without those types of people in your life. Surround yourself with the 1,000 mile friends. Those people who are there for you through thick and thin. No matter what you can count on them to have your back and be there for you. Do not let the negative people in your life dictate how you feel or think about yourself or disrupt your inner peace. Excuse them from your life with love and gratitude for the lesson learned. It is never too late to say “I am sorry” or “I forgive you”.

14) It is never a bad day when you are doing what you love to do! It’s never a bad day to be on surf board!

15) Love with all your heart might and sole! Make passionate love to one you love! Live life in the moment. The here. The now. For it is all you have! You cannot live in the past or future. All you have is right now! Yes set goals and be disciplined. Love yourself enough to pursue that which brings strong physical mental and spiritual health. So live life! Love Life! Saver Life! JUST BE! Be in the moment! Just be!

16) Sometimes you need to wait and be patient. The wave will come. Give it time! Just wait. Be in the moment. Feel the ocean under your board. Then paddle paddle, paddled some more! Count to eight. On the eighth paddle jump up land on the board catch the wave. To get up you first must have momentum. Speed! Then balance! Then focus. Always looking up and forward. Do not look down! Do not look back! Where you are looking (what you are thinking about) is where you are going to go! Then just let go! Feel the power of the wave! It is so easy! In that moment life becomes so genital. It's like an invisible force of nature pushing you through the water! Jump off and the ride is over. The cycle begins all over again. Work rest focus relax ride the natural forces. Repeat. Success! This is how I seek to live! Wait, be patient get quiet gain momentum while always keeping balance! Don't look back always forward! Enjoying every moment every success and every failure, be just be! There on your board of life taking it all in! Be happy. Be humble and be grateful! It truly is the purely simple things in life that makes us the most happy! The pursuit of the simple will make you the happiest and most successful beyond your wildest dreams!

This is what I learned on my surfing trip to Costa Rica!

Aloha and…..

Pura Vida! My friends! PURA VIDA!