This summer we stayed in a small beach town in Costa Rica well known for it’s surfing. Something about the waves there created the perfect conditions for surfing. When we would go to the beach I would see the guides offering lessons and the girls would beg to participate. The oldest two are much better swimmers than I am. I appreciate their confidence, but I still wasn’t convinced they were prepared to actually surf in the Pacific Ocean. Besides, how do you know if you’re really ready to start surfing? Here’s a few recommendations I found for beginners: know your limits, understand the conditions, stay calm. I’ve been thinking about this idea of surfing lately as we’ve been navigating our own wave after wave of new school year rhythms.

Yesterday was Riley and Olivia’s first JV volleyball game. For years we’ve managed to avoid the competitive sports trap that has “plagued” the time of most famlies of shcool aged kids. But sadly, it caught up to us. You can tell we’re still newbies. Other parents arrived to the game with seat cushions (or actual seats to put on top of the bleachers), batter packs to plug in for laptops and devices, snacks, etc. We arrived (20 minutes late- but still 40 minutes before the game so calm down). We didn’t have all the fancy equipment, nor did we know exactly what to expect. This was an away game (we drove nearly an hour and half after school to get there), and still there were several full families from our school. I believe we packed an entire side of the stands. The camaraderie we experienced was actually pretty cool. It’s nice to be a part of a family sports community. I get it now. Perhaps. We’ll see. During the game a friend of ours leaned over and whispered, welcome to the dark side. LOL. They have four kids as well, so she knows the struggle.

We got home after 8:30pm, did all the bedtime routines and even managed to sit down around the table and have dinner. As I finally crashed around 10pm, I was riding my own wave of emotions from the day. I felt a sense of pride at seeing my girls put themselves out there to try something new. Neither of them have ever played volleyball before, but they’re quickly learning and getting better. Driving home through the south Georgia backroads and farmland with the sunsetting and the windows down I felt a wave of contentment. I couldn’t have asked for a better backdrop. Waking up this morning, going through my morning routine before heading into another day of big decisions with work a wave of excitement and nervousness passed over me. The other day I even cried while watching a movie, (A Man Called Otto which is amazing by the way). I’m just riding all kinds of waves these days, but noticing and appreciating them more it seems.

My friend and colleague Aliyah Abdur Rahman always says, I want to surf. She sees herself constantly surfing, both figuratively and I suspect figuratively. I too am coming to embrace the excitement that comes from latching on to a wave and holding on for dear life. I’m also thinking back to that advice for beginner surfers: know your limits, understand the conditions, stay calm.