Apparently between the ages of 8 and 12 is the time when you are your most authentic self. So I ask you think back to when you were this age and recall what you liked to do because this is close or as close a version to what you should probably be doing now. 

When I was eight I used to play a game called 'Girls' with my sisters which ironically was a role play about what we were doing when we were women. For me I was stoically single (boys were icky back then), owned dogs and was running a rescue center/veterinary surgery. 

Nothing that eight year old Sophia has imagined has come true. 

Firstly I am in a happy relationship so I'm not overly fussed that the being single thing hasn't stuck (turns out kissing boys is quite good actually)?!! I don't have a dog I have a rabbit and although I worked my ass off to try to be a vet I didn't quite make the grades. Instead I traveled, studied to be a wildlife conservationist, did more stop gap jobs than I care to mention, traveled a bit more, felt lost, got a care job, became a land locked surfer and am now training to be a yoga instructor.
Not exactly what I had predicted for myself all those years ago! 

The yoga teacher training (a.k.a. the hardest journey I've ever embarked upon) has revealed that I adore learning and I'm perhaps not quite finished with exploring the academic side of myself just yet. The various animal spirit guides who visited me during mediation (I realize this makes me sound absolutely bonkers but bear with...), reminded me that I have a deep connection to animals and want to work with them. 

Regular readers will probably be rolling their eyes at this point, not to long ago I wanted to be an occupational therapist and before that probably something random like a manatee herder- I guess you could call me flippant! Well, its not exactly flippancy its more an abundance of creativity that grows into ideas, which then get left to rot when I become interested in the next thing. 

I believe this is called being a hapless twenty something! 

Something that has stuck through all these wandering years is the surfing, its the only thing that continually inspires and motivates me. Its also is one of the biggest conflicts of my life. I live in land locked Birmingham and I also happen to be in love with a land lubber who has to have some proximity to London (he likes surfing and I've even witnessed the stoke, but he isn't obsessed like the rest of us). Trying to pick somewhere to live together was always going to be tough but its made a million times more difficult by the fact that I NEED to be by a surfing beach. Surfing has the capacity to make you incredibly selfish as the call for the waves over rides most things whether that be work, relationships or your location!  

The trick is to be mindful and cultivate patience, beating yourself up about not going to catch that lush set rolling into your favorite break isn't going to help you in your current situation. Its far better to plan trips, compromise where you need to and make the most of your time when you are in the ocean. That and be interesting when your not at the beach, have something that brings you happiness i.e. 

 

Until next time
Stay strong, surf well
Love

Cut + Stick

I've always been a cut + stick kind of girl. When things go wrong in my life, I make collages, I write lists and pen diary entries. If you could see my room you would look upon mural after mural of dreams, postcards and shells I've picked up from beaches I hope to live by. I've always dreamed vividly and had an imagination, I guess you could say its mental resuscitation. 

At this time of year, nearing the completion of one and the beginning of another, I get especially wistful. I've been feeling really inspired today (despite feeling a little ill) about my aims and aspirations for 2013. Now don't be too surprised but here's some surfing inspired stuff that's stoking the fire and instilling in me the belief that I really will make surfing a priority this year, (despite finances and living in the middle of England)! 

What I'm loving

<3 Kitten Cowboy - surf mom living the dream 
<3 Surfgirl on instagram 
<3 As ever The Mermaid Chronicles 
<3 Seea Spring 2013 
<3 Pitch Perfect 
<3 2 broke girls 

 

 

Seea Spring 2013 from The Seea on Vimeo.

Buddhism On The 140 Bus

The 140 bus from Blackheath to Dudley does not seem an obvious choice for profound contemplation but that fifteen minute journey has provided me with ample opportunities to meditate on life.

Today I saw school kids litter picking, yesterday I watched a street dancer rehearse a routine in the bus stop and today I sat next to a lady who told me about her daughter in Australia.

They were simple snippets of everyday life which have opened my mind to appreciate compassion.

There is an old Hawaiian proverb (the complete opposite side of

the world from India where Buddhism began but...)

'There is life in the labouring,'

The saying really rings true and has been giving me great solace of late.

I know in comparison to other people's suffering my problems are minuscule but problems are all relative and that is why things sometimes get me down. I'm flat broke, not in a scary way (I'm not in debt), but I'm living very much hand to mouth. I hate it because it feels like I'm treading water (no pun intended) and at the end of the day the only person I can blame is myself.

Its hard overcoming your pride but this is a fundamental Buddhist principle over come the ego.

Reading Buddhist literature is helping me immensely to get over myself- ok so I can't rub two pennies together but hey I have flesh on my bones, love and above all potential. In suffering there is beauty, truth and enlightenment.

Samsara is Nirvana

(The Buddhist version of no pain, no gain)!

I went for an interview today, it was for a support worker role at a care home for older Caribbean people. The minute I walked in I felt at home. Everybody smiled and said hello, reggae music played in the background and I literally didn't stop laughing with the two ladies who interviewed me. I could really imagine myself there while I do my internship and save up for a masters. The only trouble is my internship is 3 days and the job would be 4 i.e. no days off...

Samsara is Nirvana, Samsara is Nirvana!

I have another interview on Monday which is for a youth worker role with African refugee kids. I cannot articulate how much I would like this job, obviously I've yet to get a real feel for the place but should the 'vibes' be good I'll be crossing every finger and toe to get that job!! A fundamental part of Buddhism is about dedicating yourself to the service of others, you don't necessarily need a job to serve others but I think right work sets up a rigt lifestyle and that breeds compassion. 

*

Its hard not to be defined by your job, gosh I've spent the biggest part of a surfing blog talking about everything but surfing. This sucks. However the big picture is this, if I get a job I have money and if I have money that means more trips to the coast to hone my skills. Its been over a year since I surfed and my craving for the ocean has gone past just being a desire, its palpable like being thirsty (bad Buddhist having desires is not good karma)!

How can I call myself a surfer girl when I can't technically surf and don't get to the ocean often?

...I am a surfer becausethe passion is there, because more than anything this is what I want to do, to surf, to do it well and to be by the ocean.

“The wave does not need to die to become water. She is already water.”

― Thich Nhat Hanh, Heart of Buddha's Teaching

 

Until next time water babies, live well

 

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