As I walked along the dark sandy shoreline stretching from Alila Seminyak to Batu Belig beach a wide range of things grabbed my attention.
Open your Eyes and You’ll See
I noticed beginner to experienced surfers, and folks on a fishing session. I saw old and middle-aged men selling all sorts of stuff, to active ones going for a morning run. There was a man meditating in front of the sea, and local families spending a relaxed day out.
When I completed my 90-minute to two-hour walk, I felt bad. Mainly because I felt like all I do is walk (not even jog or run) along the beach every morning. I should be doing something more active or engaging. The truth is, I did take a surf lesson while staying in Canggu which didn’t go very well. You can find out why here. But I still felt like I had a lot to accomplish in the next couple of years or so.
Being Grateful
While I know that blaming the fact that I grew up in Saudi certainly doesn’t help, I still like to use it as a rational and good excuse. Living in Saudi until I was 29 meant that I lagged behind in many areas of life. It’s not only in the sports or being active arena that I feel behind, the truth is, this applies to many things. I’m a late bloomer when it comes to being in a healthy romantic relationship, I’m behind in social skills and networking with others and I just recently started to make a conscious effort to exercise regularly and stay active every day.
Despite my late blooming status, I am grateful for the opportunity and privilege to continuously work on improving myself and evolving into a more refined and sophisticated version. Being grateful increases my energy and happiness.
Trust the Universe
Knowing that the Universe is always by my side really helps. This morning, after my long walk at Seminyak beach, I saw a University student taking surf lessons with an instructor and excelling at it! I later found out that this was her first lesson and that she lives in Jakarta. For the few minutes that I watched her practice as her mother took pictures and videos of her (and laughing out loud every time she fell into the water), I could see her stand up on the board every single time! I was truly impressed and I immediately asked her instructor for his business card.
Since I just recovered from a strong flu, I think I’ll take up surf lessons again on my next Bali trip. I can’t tell you how excited I am to learn this cool adrenaline-filled water sport!
Do you feel like you’re behind in being active or in sports? Did you try surfing or any other water sport? If so, how was your first experience?