This morning was not the morning you would have wanted if you were spending it in the Atlantic Ocean. But with adventurous spirits, that’s exactly what Sara and Gretchen did. The three of us met up on this cool, wet morning at Scarborough Beach, found Jake, the very sweet surf instructor, and headed over to the area where Surf Camp stores their stuff – including a handy dandy tent, which I made good use of (to escape the drizzle).

After zipping into wetsuits and a few minutes of practice on dry land, Sara, Gretchen and Jake headed into the water. I couldn’t participate in this adventure because of the limitations of my achy body (bum shoulder), but I loved watching the two adventurers figure out the paddling, the balancing and the popping up when the time was just right to ride the wave into shore.

There was falling and I’m sure frustration, but lots of smiling and feelings of accomplishment. This is what it’s like trying something new. It can be scary and difficult, but I think that makes the achievement so much sweeter.

And it really is a bummer when the day that you’re supposed to spend three hours in the cold Maine ocean transforms from the 85 degree sunny days we’ve had for a good long stretch into a day of low 70s with rain. What a tough reminder that the only thing within our control is us, how we react to a situation and what we decide to put ourselves in front of.

Big kudos to today’s surfers; they win the adventuring badge this month.

Happy adventuring,