covid legs

By: Cody Steele

Well, my wife was right.

I feel like I say that, a lot.

Last month, in her article, "Take Me To Church" she talked about how difficult it was for me to be out of the ocean during the pandemic. But it wasn't the being away that caught me off guard; it was the return to it that humbled me.

It started as a "temporary home lock down,” a time for us all to pause while the world figures its shit out. Somehow this short 2-3 month cluster nugget was just long enough to let all my surfing muscle memory dissipate. Now, I acknowledge that I am now a, "middle old aged" 43 years, but I was absolutely astonished with how fast my body forgot what to do when it finally got up on a wave. There were moments when I actually thought there might be something wrong with me, like I was suffering from a case of the dreaded “Old Man Syndrome" I had heard about so many times. Luckily, the surf sessions progressed and I eventually found my feet again, but it took me two surf sessions too many for me to accept it.

And so I started thinking...

Sometimes the world has a way of putting us in our place, a swift kick to pants to remind us how infinitely tiny and completely vulnerable we are. A few months before COVID hit, I was giving my parents a hard time about getting back in the lineup. They would tell me that surfing "felt challenging and hard," and that too often lately, getting up was a struggle. I recall thinking in my head, "how is this possible?" Since it feels so natural and easy to me, even when I'm out of the water for a week or two. I would just jump right back on the board and BAM, I am up and at it again. I realize now exactly what they meant. Surfing, when you're mind and your body are out of sync, is like having your feet on backwards, while trying to navigate some kind of tight rope, blindfolded, with skates on, and adrenaline pulsing through your veins.

The frustration is consuming; the fall, humbling.

Surfing is a sport that requires a lot of focus and agility, and anytime we are feeling out of rhythm, it can often inflame our sentiments of failure. This is why it's so incredibly important to surrender, to your body, to the pause, to the glide, and to the fall. Allow each one of these to be the experience you seek, and you will find that releasing our delusions of control enable us to reconnect with ourselves in a truly spiritual and holistic way.

The ocean is my church. But it is each and every process, every day, every paddle, every wave, every perfect ride, and every fall, that is my worship.

Thankfully the COVID lockdown has been lifted and surfing has yet again returned to my daily regimen of exercise. I have learned some valuable lessons from this pandemic and most importantly to be a little easier on my parents. I am now fully aware how easy it is to get out of rhythm with surfing, and I feel deeply empathetic towards their frustrations.

Nah… not my parents they need to suck it up and get back out in the water!! So if you see my parents please tell them you can’t wait to see them out in the lineup again.