Just Stand Up

The more time I spend in the water on my surf board, the more I see parallels in life. There are so many lessons that help me in daily living. Yesterday I paddled out. The surf wasn't that good and it was breaking all over the place. The first few waves I caught almost took me by surprise and I didn't pop-up as quickly as usual. I heard all those people that helped me learn how to surf say "just stand up". "When you feel the wave catch you, just stand up".

When you are a new surfer, you're not sure if the wave has caught you. You are not sure if you are balanced. You wait too long to pop-up. You have to overcome that feeling to make sure it's all "ok." I would ask "How do I know when?" And they say "Just stand up."

Women especially feel that they have to make it all "ok". We put our needs last. We don't stand up for what we think is right in order to keep the peace. Then I realized I was surfing on Nelson Mandela's birthday. And it rang in my head......

Just Stand Up.

Going Underground

So, those of you that know me well, know that the last year and half has been trial by fire for me. When people cheat.....when people die......when you get really sick.....it shakes your foundation. When all of those things happened to me in the last 18 months, all I wanted to do was to go "underground". I just wanted to hide from the world.

But I am part of the Girl Tribe. I have amazing friends. They understand my need for space but always remind me that I am not alone. So as the first anniversary of my mothers death approaches, my summer becomes more difficult. But my connection to my Outer Banks Family strengthens. They feed me, they call me, they support me. When I burst into tears for no reason, they comfort me.

What is this post about? It's about acceptance and survival. I am part of the Girl Tribe, and we survive.