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March 8, 2005

Soul Surfer is a must read for every surfer

So two weeks ago I was stuck in the hotel room waiting out the storms in LA. When the skies originally opened up I decided to try to wait it out due to the concerns about water quality as all the waste washed down to the beach. So I picked up a surf book for inspiration: . In a funny way it was inspiration. Yea it is the story of a young professional surfer who gets her arm bitten off by a shark, but there is a happy ending. As I read I remembered the fact that in dirty water (what we had in LA) sharks can't see so they bite first and chew second. A wet suited black leg looks allot like a seal. That was not comforting and Alex thought I was morbid for reading about a surf shark attack while waiting to surf. But the real story is about overcoming fear. About passion and following your calling. About the overwhelming, sometimes irrational pull of the waves and the ocean (which most surfers can attest to). It would be very rational for a person who had their arm bitten off my a shark surfing to never go in the ocean again. It is very unusual (and somewhat irrational) for that same person to go back in. What strength does it take to overcome something like that? The positive force must be stronger than the negative force. So Bethany Hamilton learned to paddle with one arm. Learned to push herself up into a standing position by putting one hand in the center of the board instead of one on each side. She learned to balance and turn with only one arm (try that). Her courage and strength is world class. Yet she is still just a teenager who is a bit bemused at all the attention. She really just wants to hang out with her friends and family and surf. But the agents keep calling. And she attends to them out of a sense of duty. Hey, the shark could have killed her.

That is the second very affirming part of this book. Sometimes it takes facing death to really appreciate life. Bethany faced death in the jaws of a 22 foot shark (which they caught luckily). She passed out from massive blood loss. She still has phantom pain in her arm that is no longer there. Every day is a gift. Everyone can use a little reminding about the value of a day. This book delivers it in the honest words that only a teenager could say.

I rate this a 5 of 5. A required reading for every surfer. And anyone who wants to be reminded that the world is not all crass commercialism. There are real true heros worthy of respect still out there.

Posted by Martin at March 8, 2005 10:31 AM

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