I’m sat at work and the wifi has gone down. Being relatively reliant on this magical global communications network for my trade I’m stressing out, what do I do now?
I obviously aim for my phone and look at insta, which inevitably draws my attention to epic waves. This is when my mind starts to wander to wonderful waves around the World that have got my name on them. The natural progression is to skyscanner and next thing you know I’ve booked a flight to Sri Lanka, I am looking forward to my next surf trip, I feel elated, the wifi comes back on, life is good.
Booking a surf trip is a very happy process, from the initial thought process to receiving the confirmation email; it’s exciting. When stuck in our 9-6’s it’s easy to get stuck in a rut, same routine, same excuses not to do a dawnie, same lunchtime decisions, but remember that trip when your biggest decision was what board to use for the day and whether you need suncream? Or whether 4pm is too late for coffee or too early for a beer? Those were the good days, you need to relive that dream and the time is now.
4pm beers or not, surf trips are healthy. You’re never truly stressed out on a surf trip and unless you’re in some dodgy situation in the Sri Lankan jungle, your stresses are relatively trivial; you just missed the epic bank, or the wind is slightly too offshore. You need these simple thoughts and worries back in your life. There are no wifi worries when Arugam Bay is 4ft and clean.
Not only will have a better outlook on life whilst surfing your stresses away, but in my personal experience getting that trip booked will motivate you to achieve your goals whilst at work, you have a countdown, giving you motivation to smash it. Or let’s say you’re having an unproductive and uninspired day, you will at least have something to dream about whilst sheltering behind your laptop.
Whilst away you will obviously surf yourself silly, but you will also appreciate new cultures and see life through different eyes. The typical Indonesian’s day evolves around the fishing, with early starts and fresh fish on the markets by midday. In Spain the days start slowly and finish late with social dinners into the evening and in Sri Lanka it’s about the early starts and the late nights, you spend the daytime in the most relaxed state of bliss imaginable. It’s all inspiring stuff, which can be adapted to life back home.
After a good surf trip, you always come home stoked. You should also have a killer tan if you go somewhere tropical and can relay the story of your epic barrel to everyone in the office until they are sick of it.
Surf Trips are good for your health from the initial thought process, so if the dark mornings and cold weather are getting you down, join me in Sri Lanka this season and go home with a new found stoke until your next trip.
The author STOKED off one little surf in Sri Lanka.
*not sure if it’s science