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Life Lessons of a CHS Surfer BY Kaylen Grossi
After confronting my fear, the ocean now welcomes me regularly with open arms. Surfing has defined me as an individual in ways I never could have imagined, leaving me with the continual desire to be thrilled for life. The ocean is a teacher of patience, courage, and persistence, all traits which I wish to reflect when working in a hospital as a nurse in the future.
Life Lessons of a CHS Surfer
BY Kaylen Grossi
Author Chad Lieberman once wrote, “While riding the wave of life you must practice stillness so you can flow with, rather than resist, the wave’s motion.” Living in Rhode Island, the ocean state, the petrifying layers of the ocean haunted me for years, extinguishing my courage to enter the unknown. I recall times when I was too afraid to move past my knees in the water and the thought of the churning waves caused my stomach to flip. Oddly enough, if it weren’t for my fear of the ocean, I never would have found my passion. I remember in perfect clarity the day I caught my first wave. It was also the day I experienced more failure than I had in my entire lifetime. The sun shone brightly over me as the nerves bottled up inside threatened to burst out. Magnificent fifteen foot surging waves crashed from the edge of the water. Anxiously, I stepped into the water, allowing the warm foam to kiss my toes while I inhaled my surroundings. With the unfamiliar weight of a surfboard at my side, I paddled out towards the endless horizon, and restlessly waited.
At first, I easily avoided the enormous waves but the further I paddled, the more ferocious they became. I turned for a second to stand on my board when a massive wave slammed me from behind. It dragged me under the water, swirling me around until my nostrils were full of the pungent fumes of salt and waste cluttered along the shore. Unrelentlessly, it yanked my board to the side, with me still attached. My lungs burned and salt water stung my throat but I continued to fight back. At the last second, the wave’s iron grasp released me and I popped to the surface, gasping for air. Time and time again, I paddled towards the waves just to be crushed by the sense of failure in my heart.
Unable to cope with the feeling of utter defeat, I turned to head into shore. Was I really going to let my temporary failure overcome my determination? Finalizing my decision, I swerved around, determined, paddling back out into the deep, ruthless ocean. Wave after wave sailed over my head as I skillfully dodged gallons of crashing water. “I am going to catch this wave,” I whispered into the salty air. The wave’s growing clear body with its white foam tip edged closer and closer to my board. In perfect unity, the wave and I collided. Awestruck, the symphony of rushing water embodied me. The wave expressed indomitable power, towering above me. I felt nature’s energy as I cut through the water effortlessly, riding on top of the world. Then, just as quick as the wave came, it departed. I thrust my fist into the air with triumph, feeling total fulfillment on all levels. In that moment, I knew I would spend my life pursuing the adventure found in those waves.
After confronting my fear, the ocean now welcomes me regularly with open arms. Surfing has defined me as an individual in ways I never could have imagined, leaving me with the continual desire to be thrilled for life. The ocean is a teacher of patience, courage, and persistence, all traits which I wish to reflect when working in a hospital as a nurse in the future. On some waves, I experience failure, causing me to rethink, but, in the end, the failure teaches the lesson of perseverance. No matter what, it’s important that I keep going back and, in every new wave, conquer the fear of failure. As a force larger than life with a mind of its own, the ocean teaches humility and puts things in perspective. Sometimes life, like a wave, tries to weigh us down with conflicts and emotions but if we hold on, and ride the waves with ease, inner strength will prevail.