Junkie Syndrome

Giving up what you love to do is gruelling. We all need something to keep us going -We need something to buffer us from the absurdity of everyday life. Both Reina and I find reconnecting with mountains, woods or oceans the perfect opiate.

Since we moved to Saudi, however, we've found it hard to find suitable replacements. Like a junkie kicking a habit, I sit on the couch in cold sweats staring in space, dreaming about the shorelines I've surfed. I imagine Reina does the same with Tahoe. The weather patterns of winter swirl in our blood streams -We know somewhere right now in the West an Aleutian storm pounds the coast with waves and snow. I secretly want to call my friends and have them tell me about their day of surfing, what the sky looks like outside or what the temperature is. I get some gratification by checking web cams and coastal town newspapers...but in the end, it's all just a watered down sensation.

Going from surfing big waves (in Fall, Winter, Spring) four times a week to no surfing, is the hardest thing I've experienced in life. I know this sounds hyperbolic...but surfing has more nutritional and psychological value than most people realize. It teaches you lessons every time you paddle out. It helps to bring you back to the center of your existence. It disposes of the clutter in our minds. It reminds you of what really is significant and what is not.

Reconnecting with nature (via an exhilarating sport) keeps Reina and me fearless. We thrive best knowing a steep wall of water or powder is the near future. Being in Saudi without these immediacies makes us have to adapt. Planning exotic trips helps in the meantime.