“Surfing isn’t a sport; it’s a path.”
I used to have a poster of a wave in my college apartment. I took a surfing lesson in Hawaii and told everyone that would listen after that I finally understood what all the fuss was about. Like millions before me, I’m in love with the idea of surfing. Being a surfer, could there be anything better?
Well, I will never be a surfer. I’m a middle-aged father who loves the water, is a terrible swimmer, has many hobbies, no time to devote to half of them, and no waves in sight. It’s not gonna happen.
However, reading Barbarian Days by William Finnegan has got to be the next best thing. It’s more than a book about surfing, but wow, the surfing parts are like nothing else. You’ve probably never heard waves described this way, let alone the study of breaks and coastlines outlined with so much detail and love. The purity of focus, minimal distraction, and maximum appreciation of the risks and rewards of a surfing life all come shining through as an example of what is possible.
Yes, reading this book made me feel even more awed by surfing and of what humans can do in general, but it also made me feel ok about it not being my sport (sorry, path). I can appreciate it from the shore.
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