This is where I was this morning, right down there, in the sea trying to catch those waves....

Today though was one of those sessions that was challenging and humbling for me. I had a fantastic surf on Sunday and allowed myself to think that after only 6 months, I was really getting somewhere. But today, while all the real surfers were out there surfing, I struggled to even get out back, yet alone catch any decent waves (and they were there to be caught). So after an hour of fighting, I stumbled out of the sea, exhausted and dejected and wholly aware that I still have a LOT to learn.

This evening though, I went skateboarding (having started again a few months ago after a 36 year break!!) and had a fantastic time! It was the complete opposite to surfing this morning. I pushed myself harder tonight, determined to make up for the failures of the morning, and it paid off. I left feeling that I've really turned a corner (quite literally as it turns out) and that I'm starting to get somewhere with skating. It's totally one step forward, two back, with surfing and skating (and running and designing and parenting!!) but tonight I felt like I definitely took that one step forward.

And you know, this isn't really about surfing or skating (or the midlife crisis that I'm sure some people think I'm having!), but about learning and challenging and taking control. For me, challenging myself helps to quieten the doubts and fears about life that often threaten to drown out all the good stuff. Learning and improving means that I'm moving forward and taking control. I may never be particularly good at surfing or skateboarding, and it may seem insane to take both up when I'm 47 this year, but it's not about being really good, it's about refusing to give in. Whether it's not giving in to growing older, or the pain in my hips or societies expections of me, or all of the above, it doesn't matter. All that matters is feeling that you're rising to that challenge.

Plus I really, really LOVE to skate and surf!!