Do you ever think about your last surf? I’m not talking last weekend. I mean the last time you EVER surf. We all reminisce about past sessions that become more awesome, more epic with age, and equally we look to the next weather window with almost single-minded anticipation.
But what if your next surf was, in fact, your last surf. Ever.
The last time you checked the weather forecast, made excuses and switched shifts.
The last time you thought about which board to break out and what fin set-up to use.
The last time you pulled on a more damp than dry wet-suit.
The last time you bummed some wax and scored a spare leash.
The last time you walked the long walk with one eye on the swell and the other on trying to dodge barnacles/seaweed and/or cat calls from your crew.
The last time you paddled out, sussed the crowd and snaked your way into the line-up.
The last time you pulled into the best damn wave of your life to hoots from your buddies.
The last time you crashed and burned on a close-out set and had your ass handed back to you.
The last time you struggled to shore, arms hanging off, frozen to the core but buzzing with stoke.
The last time you enjoyed a strong coffee and a piping hot pie while you gradually thawed out at the heat vents in your car.
The last time you went to bed, hit the pillow and eased into a deep slumber with dreams of the waves you’d caught earlier.
The last time you woke with aches and pains in places you didn’t know you had places.
The last time you checked your ‘go to’ surf app to do it …. All. Over. Again.
We tend to take a lot for granted. That we’ll always enjoy good health. That we’ll always wake up the next day. That we’ll always see our family again …. And that there’ll always be another surf. There may indeed be a next time but then again… there may not.
So make it count: be nice, share a wave, go left if you normally go right, go short if you normally go long, choose retro over progressive, holler encouragement at a kook and shout some praise at an ol’ boy; but above all, be good to yourself and live in the moment. It just may be your last.
