Geelong Study Group

Jinenkan Kobudo Study Group Geelong A lesson in humility & knowing ones limits was learnt by yours truly on Saturday. Am just getting into surfing & went to catch some waves w/ Moz on his side of the bay. After an hour or so in the freezing cold water, we found ourselves surrounded by 30-40 other surfers all in a pocket only 50 meters wide going for the same waves. It was getting agro & way too crowded...madness. We moved down the coast a bit but I was cold to my core, couldn't feel my hands at all & should have called it quits then & there. Not wanting quit early or miss out on the fun I got in again & struggled to paddle out the back to even attempt catching a wave. After another 30 mins or more, I was spent! My arms were painted on, truly useless! String beans thrashing at the surface ;)
Moz & his mate headed in after a couple of good waves. I noticed I was drifting out away from the point. I was caught in a little rip, nothing serious, but w/ no arms to paddle, the cold & discouragement setting in I was in a spot of bother to be honest. Moz could see I was struggling & began to wade in. I was going to wave him away to say I was fine, I mean really, how embarrassing! But when I saw him swimming towards me I was a little relieved I must admit. He took my board to paddle in while I swam in with the resource of my legs which were still fine. I know the ocean & am a good swimmer but I was spent. I would have drifted out to New Zealand if Moz hadn't come in to help. To think, I considered trying to handle it myself! What an idiot!!! I was humbled, belittled & crest fallen at my poor surf fitness & the predicament I'd got myself into.
The lesson? Know your limits & don't be afraid to reassess them from time to time, as things change. We feel tired, we feel cold, we get older or we're just not being honest wi/ ourselves. Whether socially, intellectually, physically or tactically, we all have peaks & troughs in our assumed abilities. In the dojo we do this too. We should never be to proud to admit needing help. We should never be too proud to ask a question. The only stupid thing about questions is to not ask one. We're all beginners at some stage, or we might have overestimated our perceived talents & attributes. Stay honest & in the moment, you could miss out on something. In my case it was my own personal safety that was at stake. Thanks for saving my arse Moz, I owe you one brother!

Comments

Peter Steeves said…
You know, when you mention that "The only stupid thing about questions is to not ask one." I feel compelled to mention the stupid thing about answers is to give them just to give answers, regardless of knowledge. It happens all too often in every area of interest.

I miss surfing with you in Japan, but maybe we can paddle out this summer.

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