Friday 23 October 2009
One of my first surf-partners, Mike Broderick, was once sitting in a lineup with the famous surfer Peter Cole and asked him the key to becoming a good surfer. The aging legend said, “Persistence, man, persistence.” He then took off on a killer wave. Interestingly, my top four most consistent surfing partners have all been named Mike and have all possessed an incredible stoke for the sport. Their judgement occasionally seemed to be inversely related to the stoke, but their passion has proven to be incredibly contagious. Honestly, I can’t recall which of the four Mike’s recounted that story, but I know it was one of them. Aloha to them all. I can’t wait to get in the water with you, again.
I think about that quote often out here, as it seems as applicable in the mountains and desert as it is in the ocean. Persistence is the single attribute that I have found to be most critical during my deployment. Whether in attempting to travel throughout the theatre, fighting for personnel actions, or just mustering the energy to pack my ruck one more time in the middle of the night, persistence has been the key to meeting my goals. Maybe it will even help my surfing.
add this one: There are no bad waves, just bad surfers. (Every time I curse the surf for being too flat, too big, too windy, too crowded, too whatever, I give thanks for just being there and remember that little aphorism.)
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