Muscle reflex

「我是怎麼到達這裡的？」是一個當我發現自己週六清晨趴在衝浪板上時，常會問自己的問題。這是一個直白的問題，尤其當這個清晨是一個又冷又風大的寒冬清晨。

“How did I get here?” is a question I sometimes ask myself, when I find myself on a surfboard early on a Saturday morning. It is a literal question, especially when the morning is a cold windy one in the midst of winter. 

one amazingly dreamy foggy sunrise

問題的答案一樣直白。我會在這48小時前開始觀察浪潮資訊，選好海灘，按照潮汐設定了名為「衝浪」的鬧鐘，起床，擦上防曬油穿上潛水服（雖然穿著它開車真的很不舒服我還是寧願先穿），吃了簡單的早餐，把衝浪板放到車子裡面或車頂上，開車到海灘，現場觀察一下浪潮，在沙灘上拉筋，趴在板上划水出去⋯然後發現我又在想「我是怎麼到達這裡的？」。在起床前的所有步驟都是一種期盼，那之後的所有步驟就幾乎是肌肉反射動作了。從我的床到穿上潛水服的衛生間，這之間的5步距離，就是這個肌肉反射動作的觸發點。

The answer is also just as literal. I would have been monitoring the tide information from 48 hours prior, chosen the beach, set my alarm according to tidal movement naming it “surfing”, waken up, put on the sunscreen and wetsuit (as uncomfortable as it is to drive in I still prefer to), eaten a light breakfast, loaded the board in or on top of the car, driven to the beach, observed the tide, stretched on the sand, paddled out... then found myself thinking “how did I get here?”. All steps before waking up are anticipation; from that point onwards it is almost muscle reflex. The 5-step distance between my bed and the bathroom where I put on the wetsuit, is the trigger to kick start the muscle reflex. 

在我們的人生中，如果想要到達任何一個地方 - 不管是好的，壞的，還是只是一個中繼站 - 都需要經過一連串的步驟與行動。有的時候這些繁複的步驟與行動似乎很嚇人，甚至會讓人裹足不前，不知道從何開始。但是如果我們能夠慢慢建立起一系列正面的「肌肉記憶」，或許有這麼一天，我們可以像肌肉反射動作般，自然的 跨出第一步。

It always take a series of steps and actions to get to any place - good, bad, or just inbetween - in our lives. Those steps and actions can be daunting or even paralyzing, that we don’t know where to start. But if we are able to build a positive sequence of “muscle memory”, maybe one day, taking the first step can become a natural muscle reflex. 

致，前進。

To moving forward. 

Beginner’s surfology 2

所以在我終於可以穩定的乘到白浪（浪打下來後白色的泡沫）後，我現在嘗試著乘上綠浪（還沒打下來的玻璃色的海浪） 。這個嘗試帶給我3個寶貴的課程：

So after I am able to steadily ride the whitewash (foamy water after waves have broken), now I try to catch the green waves (clean unbroken waves). This brings me 3 valuable lessons:

1. 選擇我要試著乘上的海浪

1.Choose the wave to go for

逆著海浪划水到浪後排隊（衝浪人會在大約浪要形成的位置一字排開等浪，叫做line-up）是一件非常累人的事情。如果我為了乘上浪往岸邊划去，我就會失去我排隊的位置。如果我沒有乘上浪，我就會需要重新划水回到line-up⋯如此這般週而復始。我基本上還沒乘上綠浪就被這個過程耗盡了體力。這時我必須審視我應該選擇嘗試乘什麼樣的浪。與其嘗試乘上每一個浪，我需要學習「讀」浪的狀態才能夠選出適合我的浪，然後全心全力的嘗試乘上它。

Paddling up to the line-up at the back against the wave is a very exhausting exercise. If I paddle for a wave back towards the shore, I lose my position in the line-up. If I didn’t catch the wave I would need to paddle out to the line-up again… so on, so forth. I simply was worn out by the process before I caught any green wave. It comes down to what wave I choose to go for. Rather than going for every wave, I need to become better at “reading” the waves in order to identify the wave that’s suitable for me, then full-heartedly go for it.

正如我們日常生活中的各個無法避免的挑戰-小如某人的一句無心的話，大如照顧生病的家人。我們是要無關大小的與每一個挑戰硬碰硬呢，還是放下一些瑣碎的事而專心面對一些重要的，能夠左右我們或某人的人生的挑戰呢？

我決定要挑選我會出場的戰役。

Like every challenge in our lives.. there are always something challenging us on daily basis- little ones like someone said something wrong without the intention, big ones like taking care of lllness in family. Are we going to take every challenge head-on, or do we let go of some of them to focus on the challenge that matters, that would result in fundamental changes in some aspect of our or someone’s lives?

I choose to be selective with my battles.

2. 當決定了時，用盡全力划水

2. When decided, paddle as hard as you can

我曾經數次不能決定是否該乘這個浪而猶豫不決的划水嘗試。這保證了這個浪會從我的衝浪板下滑過，而非將我推進讓我成功乘上。

如果我沒有全力投入，或沒有準備充足，去捉住機會，機會是不會拉著我的手帶我前進的；機會只會從我身邊滑過。機會只有對準備好了全力以赴的人才是機會，對其他人都只是日常的事件罷了。

There have been times when I was undecided about the wave and paddled half- heartedly. It is guaranteed that the wave would pass me by.

If I was not committed, or ready, to catching the opportunity, it wouldn’t pick me up and take me with it; opportunity would only pass me by. Opportunity is only opportunity to the ones ready to commit, otherwise it is just another happening.

3. 會有下一個浪的

3. There will always be a next wave

但是如果我奮力嘗試卻仍然沒有成功乘上浪，只要靜心等待，下一個浪就會來了⋯ 只要我做好要全力以赴的準備。

But if I have tried and failed to catch the wave, just wait for the next swell, the next wave…. as long as I’m ready to commit the effort of catching it.

Beginner’s surfology

大概3個月前我開始（嘗試著去）衝浪。 衝浪真的非常困難，但是幾乎每週末去練習加上每晚在家練習在衝浪板上站起的動作，我終於可以站起來並留在衝浪板上（而不是站起來就跌進浪裡）。衝浪真是一條漫長的路啊⋯但是這條路去向何方呢？在一路上我大致上給自己了一些嬰兒學步般的小小目標：

I started (to attempt) surfing from 3 months ago. It is so difficult, but by going almost every weekend and dry land pop up everyday, I was finally able to pop up and stay on the board. It is a long road... to what though? I have been loosely setting baby step goals along the way: 

- 在被浪衝倒時可以保持冷靜 

- 在推動起身時 可以保持衝浪板的平衡

- 在衝浪板上站起時可以往前看而不是看著自己的腳 

- 在 划水時可以更有效率並選擇適合自己程度的浪

-  在快要俯衝時可以記得推動起身

- 可以 將站起動作練到成肌肉反射

- 可以在衝浪板上站起後繼續留在板上

⋯ 這個清單無止境的延伸，甚至有些瑣碎，但是我一直可以找到更多我「接近但是還做不到 」的項目。

 - can stay calm when dumped by wave

- can keep board balance when push up  

- can look ahead rather than at my feet when pop up 

- can paddle efficiently and identify wave right for me

- can initiate push up when about to nose dive

- can build muscle reflex of pop up sequence  

- can stay on the board after pop up

 ... the list goes on, it’s almost tedious, and there’s always something more I find, that is close enough but I’m just not quite there. 

這個週末當我終於可以自己乘到浪，在衝浪板上站起滑（以我的超級初學者標準來說）較長的時間，我實在太興奮了！在那幾次較長的滑行後我望向四周期盼有旁觀者給予鼓勵，才發現大家都專注於自己的浪而沒有餘力看其他人。

This weekend when I was able to catch my own wave, pop up and stay on the board for a few long (in my standard) rides, I was ecstatic! I looked around at the end of those longish rides for some encouragement, only to realize that everyone was concentrating on their own surf and no one was looking.   

下面是我覺得為什麼衝浪這麼引人入勝，並充滿哲理的原因：

1. 我們都在同一個海洋，但是我們都各自在自己的衝浪板 上衝自己的浪

2. 衝浪是終極孤獨的運動- 它沒有可能組隊參加。你自己的努力直接轉換為你自己的成果，所以沒有任何的藉口 

3. 每個人都忙著衝自己的浪，所以沒有人有空看你。不要害怕一直失敗，沒有人在看；同樣的，虛榮或自尊也沒有出場的機會 

4. 海洋有時候會給你超出能力範圍的大浪- 學習如何翻過或潛過這些大浪，因為能將人拋到空中的大浪是無法避免的，而你必須 保護自己

5. 每個人衝同一個浪的方式都不一樣。這關於時機的掌控，能力程度，及控制

6. 沒有什麼是馬上就做得到的，而且追求進步的路途沒有終點 

現在假設我們把「海洋」換成「宏觀的人生」，「衝浪」換成「微觀的人生」，而「海浪」換成「人生中發生的事件」，你覺得上面那些像是在描述什麼呢？

最重要的是，絕不放棄繼續嘗試。

Here are what I found fascinating about surfing that makes it so philosophical: 

1. We are all in the same ocean, but we are all on our own boards catching our own waves.

2. Surfing is the ultimate loner’s sport - there is no way to team up. your effort directly translates to the outcome and there is no excuse  

3. Everyone is busy with their own surf that no one is looking at you. Don’t be afraid to keep failing, no one is looking; vanity or pride has no place either for the same reason.

4. Ocean will give you waves sometimes bigger than your skill level- learn how to go over or under the wave, because dumpy waves are inevitable and you must stay safe.

5. With the same wave, everyone surfs differently. It’s about timing, skill and control.

6. Nothing happens overnight and there is no end to the pursuit of becoming better

Now, how does it sound when you think about “ocean” as “life in the macro”, and “surf” as “life in the micro”, “wave” as “happenings in life”?

Most importantly- never stop trying.