The other day I walked into the Patagonia store on King St. West in Toronto. One book, Surf is where you find it, practically jumped off the bookshelf, so I sat down with it and began reading.
The author, Gerry Lopez, was considered to be the best surfer in the world in the early seventies. One of his quotes near the end of the book stood out, "The Best surfer in the water is the one having the most fun."
I contemplated that quote which reminded me that having fun is, in a sense, what life is all about, ideally finding work/passions that we truly enjoy.
I posted Gerry's quote on my wall and a few days later a friend sent me this documentary about the life of Gerry Lopez which I found truly inspirational.
I had always been drawn to surfing even though I only tried it a few times. It seems as though it's the metaphor of surfing that has always intrigued me ~ wait for that perfect wave, find stillness in motion, do what you love, get up early. In a sense the metaphor of surfing is opposite to how so many experience the most informative years of life often confined to the walls of a classroom for many years.
Near the end of the documentary, he shared his thoughts on the meaning of life, "We're only here for a short time...and you have to find some peace within you. Then sharing that peace...contributing to other people's happiness, lets you find the true goal, the true meaning of life."
I found Gerry Lopez to be truly inspiring ~ his peacefulness, clarity, and love emanates from him. He clearly 'walked his talk' and I'm certain he brought a great deal of peace, inspiration and happiness to the lives of many others.
May we all strive to do the same.
One can even get a taste of surfing indoors. In Montreal, Canada there is an indoor surf place called 'Surf Oasis' where one can do just that. Check out:
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