To put a number on the number of failures I've had in life would be difficult to count. From failing a conversation to a test to personal hopes, I've failed. Once nice thing is that most of the ones that I have failed at, I hardly remember. They tend to become a blur as I deal with the here-and-now and not think about the other failures.
If I were to guess, I'd bet you would have the same types of "memories" as I do. That brings us to this week's quote...
There are no more committed people on the planet than surfers. We fall down a lot. We turn around, paddle back out, and do it over and over again. Unlike anything else in life, the stoke of surfing is so high that the failures quickly fade from memory. - Surfer, Gary Sirota
I would guess that with each outing a surfer goes through, there are going to be about a 5-1 ratio of falls to "rides." That is just a wild guess, since Kansans do not do much surfing. However, to think about how many times they go out and how many times they fall off, there has to be a huge number of times the fall happens. However, I doubt they think about it much, for they just get back on and paddle out.
For you and I, to have times in our lives where we simply fail, we are challenged to get back on the surf board, paddle out and ride the wave again.
I challenge you to not give up, but rather keep getting back on the surf board and looking for the next wave to ride. It may be the biggest one that's ever been ridden, yet!
HANG TEN, DUDE!
Now it's your turn...You may know nothing about surfers, but what do you think about their commitment?
"Cowabunga, Dude!" "Gnarly!" "Hang ten." "Surf's up!" These among hundreds others (see here) are terms from the surfing community. I am totally out of my element when it comes to the surfer scene! This 'community' of people have an understanding that those on the outside would probably just think they are crazy. One thing is for sure, they are adamant about their lifestyle and becoming good at surfing. They come from all walks of life. One of the main parts of being successful is their ability to go back out and conquer the waves that come their way.
Maybe not everyone can surf - I don't know that I could. However, turn the word around to "serve"...that brings us to this week's quote...
Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Serving is one of those areas in life some people resist to dive into, but once they're in, they enjoy. Like that pool that seems a bit too cool to the touch of the toe. You don't want to get in, but you jump in and once you're in, it's exhilarating! Though it is a bad illustration, based on the context, I have to think of the funny scene of the movie "Vacation" where "Clark" jumps in to the hotel pool (If you've seen it you are probably laughing).
If you've had opportunities to serve, you know how "gnarly" it can be. When you're finished, and you're asked how it went, you may respond with "It, like, totally rocked, dude!" And you're looking for the next time you get to ride the waves!
Look out into the ocean of life and see what waves you can ride...keep in mind, "'serves' up!"
