As summer fades and fall approaches, I have been evaluating this past year. Before I say anything else, let me just tell you that I am one of the most optimistic people living on Earth. I always see the glass half-full and genuinely love life. I have hope that the future will be amazing and situations will work out for the good. I usually have one mood, and that’s happy. However, my 2016 has not been the best. To put it simply, 2016 has sucked. It may just be because I turned 23 this year and thanks to Blink 182, we all know that “nobody likes you when you’re 23.” From broken hearts to life plans not working to losing love ones, most things that occurred in 2016 have been horrible.Things have really got me down this year and I spent a good amount of the year feeling lost, confused and blue. But even though it has sucked, I am determined to rise above the hurt and pain and live the life I want to.
Like a lot of people when life gets too hard to handle, I turn to a book or netflix and get lost in a thrilling tale. In every story that I read or watch, there is always a character trying to accomplish a goal and they conquer obstacle after obstacle until that goal is accomplished. For example, in Game of Thrones, one of my favourite characters is Daenerys Targaryen. She’s a strong female leader who takes control of her destiny and rises above her trials. While Daenerys may be a fictional character, she has inspired me to take control of my destiny and try my best to end 2016 on a good note.
My love for surfing has also been a great inspiration to keep pressing on. Surfing is the art of riding waves. In order to ride the wave and experience the awesome rush of adrenaline, you have to use the momentum the wave creates to push yourself forward. This amazing sport could not be done unless the surfer finds the patience and strength to use the wave and pull themselves up on the board.
I remember the first time I went surfing. I was in Australia’s beautiful Sunshine Coast. It was a perfect, sunny day, the sky was blue and the ocean was crystal-clear. I watched the other surfers catch waves effortlessly as I went out into the water full of excitement. I positioned myself on my board, faced the beach and waited for the perfect wave. I sat on my board, my legs dangling in the water. Here I was, an 18 year old girl who grew up in a landlocked province and I was about to catch my first wave. As I saw the wave approach, I started paddling. I felt the wave start to lift me and I went to pull myself up. Instead of standing tall on the board and riding the wave like the others on the beach, I was pushed forward and knocked off into the ocean. The taste of salt filled my mouth as I bursted out of the water and gasped for air. I felt so disappointed and hopeless. Surfing was a lot harder than it looked, and the fear of never being able to surf overwhelmed me. However with practice, I soon found that all the hard work was worth it and I finally was able to ride the wave.
Life is like the ocean, one minute it is calm and the next it is rolling with waves. When trials in our lives come up we can let them consume us or use them to rise above. The waves of life may seem overwhelming and may leave us hopeless but how we react to the wave is totally up to us. We can let the waves crash over us and pull us down, or we can ride the wave and use it to pull us forward. Even though it may be harder to ride the waves of our lives, just like with surfing, the hard work will be worth it.
