Why I Love Surfing: Reason Number 234092834

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Because it is a place without human obligation. It’s a place to rest.

Truly.

I was reading Maria Popova’s essay on the art of solitude and she used that phrase, originally said by farmer and writer Wendell Berry. And it hit home.

Photo by Tommy Lisbin on Unsplash

One of the things I’ve always truly loved about surfing and struggled to put into words before today is that it’s a place where I can’t be reached on my phone or computer. It’s a place where no one can find me, except my buddies I might be out there with. The sole purpose is chasing joy—there is no human obligation. Even the human aspects—sharing a wave, taking turns in the lineup, watching to make sure the guy with the green board resurfaces after a nasty wipeout, talking—don’t carry any weight or charge. There’s no expectation from anyone around you that you’ll be doing anything other than catching a wave.

The typical non-surfing day is filled with human obligation. Filled with responding to emails, shuffling papers to and fro, paying bills—but when you’re surfing, it’s just you and the ocean. There’s no obligation, no demands. There’s an incredible lightness of being. All the responsibilities lie on shore and here, here, we are free.