Since the change of employment my overall level of stress has gone down, and with it my overall cash flow. I have all the surfboards I need and a wetsuit that's less than a year old, so I'm set with equipment. I've been reduced to a one car family for the foreseeable future. I'm sure we could get a second car if I really wanted to, but I don't really. The lack of a personal car has impacted my ability to get to the beach, but I don't seem to mind. This is part of a new relationship I seem to have with surfing.
I still enjoy surfing, but I don't find myself sitting at work wishing I was out there, even when it's good. I don't keep as good a track of the conditions as I used to. Even when I'm at the beach and it's good, I feel more relaxed about the whole situation. Out in the water I try to get waves and paddle to stay in position, but if I don't, that's okay to. Overall I feel very "okay" with however things work out.
I suspect this is due to a much less stressful work situation, but I don't know for sure. Perhaps my body is reaching the age that it doesn't strive to dunk itself in cold water and beat it's head against walls of whitewater. I've even been forgetting to check the craigs-list for surfboards of interest.
So what's next for me and surfing? I hope that I don't slowly withdraw from the beach and stop surfing because I see surfing as my main form of exercise, and exercise needs to be a part of everyone's life for their entire life. I do dream of easier surfing, or at least surfing where it's warmer, but I make no plans to achive that dream. I make less money and I'm adjusting to the less money lifestyle. That, combined with ever increasing cost of gas, results in fewer trips to the beach. And the weird thing is, I'm okay with that.
