Day 2: January 31, 2024

I am a surfer now

Yesterday was my first full day in Nosara! I woke up, wrote my first blog post over green juice and cold brew, read for a little, and then walked to town to get some fruit and snacks for my room. A slower morning, which felt nice.

At noon I went to a "Full Body Tone" class in Sendero's studio, led by a woman named Meg. We love and hate Meg. Or perhaps we love and hate the green resistance band that destroyed my glutes, but promises a nice, tight behind. It was a diverse group of 10, fun music, and felt good to get my body moving and introduced to many muscles I have never met before. I walked down to the bar after class to get a smoothie (banana, cacao, coffee, coconut milk - wow) and a fellow classmate, Lauren, asked if she could join. We cut to the core real fast, as it seems people do here. Lauren is here for a month following the tragic death of her brother, Michael. They lived together in LA and he died by suicide in December. She found him in his room. Her employer gave her 20 days of bereavement, which she used to support her grieving mother (she lost her dad in 2021), his grieving friends, and handle logistics. She is now on medical leave for 1 month and chose to spend that time to heal in Nosara. I think I caught her at a moment where she needed to talk, so I listened. It is a gift to be trusted as a listening ear for someone who's ready to talk about their trauma. I kept that thought close to my heart as we talked about Michael, her family, her work, and her time in Nosara so far. We exchanged contact info and might meet up again.

After parting ways with Lauren, the part of the day you've all been waiting for happened...at about 2pm CT, Nosara Kiki blossomed into Surf Kiki. Justin, my surf instructor, was THE HIGHLIGHT of the day. He is a young Costa Rican surfer who has the most beautiful energy, centered about the joy that he gets from sharing his greatest passion with others. As he taught me the basics on the sand, I thought - how the hell does this man bring such genuine passion to something he does on repeat every day? I am so happy he does, though, because it mattered. Justin made me feel excited about learning something new and hard. He made it inviting and fun. We laughed a lot. I felt lighthearted and free - beginners' mind - as I tried to catch a wave, fell, grabbed my board, and ran as fast as I could back out to the waves. We spent an hour in the water. My hands were wrinkly by the end. Something people don't really talk about is the crashing waves that you meet head on while paddling out, and how harsh that is on your eyes - over and over again. As I rubbed my eyes with my thumb and pointer finger each time a wave hit me, I thought of Ryan, who used to sunburn around the eyes when we were little because of that repeated motion.

Sendero video tapes your sessions, so you can analyze later, learn, and be reminded that the wave you thought was a gnarly 6-footer was actually just whitewash. In analyzing with Justin this morning, the best "rides" I had were ones where, right before catching the wave, he said "let go of your fear and add some attitude, girl!" When you can really let go of fear and confidently move with the water is when the magic happens. As for attitude, no problems for me there Justin.

As we wrapped for the afternoon, Justin asked if I was here with my husband or my family or friends. "Nah J, I am solo." To which he said, "Ah, solita!" "What a beautiful word" I responded. He said, "you can make it beautiful". I looked it up later and it technically means lonely in Spanish. But I can make it beautiful.

I changed bathing suits, reloaded SPF 50, and headed back down to the beach, where I would stay until sunset. I read and wrote in my journal (deeper thoughts, not for your consumption) and made new friends. Julie is a 30 year old hair stylist from LA and was enjoying her last Nosara sunset. We agreed to watch each others' things as we went in and out of the water until about 6pm. She brought water colors down and painted while we talked. We made dinner plans for her last night. I also met Noah, a Duke '11 from upstate NY now living in Denver (we have a few mutual friends!). He is visiting a friend here. We exchanged numbers and will hopefully meet up again.

Julie and I met at Al Chile at 730pm for fish tacos. Two friends she met earlier in the week, Jimmy and James, also joined. Jimmy is a 47-year old divorced and recently retired child neurologist from Austin, who just fully relocated to Nosara. James is a 60-year old luxury brand music curator from London, in the process of buying a second property in Nosara. It was an interesting dinner, to say the least. Discussion included where I should part my hair, surfing on acid, mushrooms being the new red wine, music, divorce, retiring before you're 50, and lots of Nosara tips. I will take the last item and run, but do not think I will be doing dinner with Jimmy and James again!

I write to you after coffee and a walk on the beach, with sore ribs, a stye in my eye (damn salt water and dust-like sand), and a happy soul. Another surf lesson today at 3pm today. I will see where the rest of the day takes me! Leaving you with a few wise words from DW, as I think a lot about new beginnings, surfing and beyond.

Beginning from Consolations by David Whyte

"Beginning well or beginning poorly, what is important is simply to begin, but the ability to make a good beginning is also an art form. Like picking up a new and unfamiliar musical instrument, the first necessary step involves taking the time to get a simple clear note, usually the simple clear note of forgiveness that comes in allowing yourself the right, at this stage, not to know anything at all. Beginning anything well involves a clearing away of the confusing, the cluttered and the complicated to find the beautiful, often hidden lineaments of the essential and the necessary"

XO,

Surf Kiki