I don’t understand the allure of paddling a board out against cold, cold waves and then waiting and watching for just the right wave to (finally) appear so you can ride the wave into shore … so you can repeat the whole process again and again and again. 

But the the two surfers I watched from the Manhattan Beach pier a week ago certainly wanted to be in the ocean — did I mention the water was cold? — and they didn’t mind the waiting and the watching … and repeating the process, no matter how many waves were a bust. I would dare say they loved being out there in the water and relished being atop their boards when they finally succeeded in catching a ridable wave.

Enthusiasm — eagerness, passion, an inner fire — brought them to Manhattan Beach that day. And that enthusiasm kept them going when they were just sitting on their boards, no good waves in sight. To catch a good wave, you’ve got to put up with the not-so-good waves, right?

We all have things we’re enthusiastic about. A fire is kindled inside of us and no matter the waiting, no matter the disappointments, no matter what … we’re going to keep at it — whatever it is. For me, it’s writing — although I confess I hit a day or two this week when the “ocean” seemed all too calm and I couldn’t catch an emotional wave and ride it. For you, it might be teaching. Or crafts. Or building a plane from spare parts. Or fly fishing. Or mentoring young teens.

When enthusiasm wanes, as it did for me this week, that’s when we act enthusiastic remembering who we are, deep inside, and doing what we need to do to kindle afresh the passion that is imbedded in our hearts.

In Your Words: What electrifies your life? And how do you keep the eagerness, the inner fire flowing when circumstances or reality threaten to dampen your intensity?

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