Lesson from Bali: Surfing is NOT Everything

After lunch brownies. This is what we were looking for when I stumbled upon this cafe in Hanoman St, Ubud that offers free postcards. Ripcurl’s free postcard has these words:

Surfing is like nothing else.
It’s sunburnt backs & bloodshot eyes.
It’s paddling back out for one more, 10 times.
Surfing is melting wax & burning sand.
It’s warm water, salt water, and a dry mouth.
It’s calling a mate into the best wave of the morning.
Surfing is tubes & turns & flying down the line.
It’s head-dips & chop-hops, hoots & high-fives.
It’s three fins and one fin, two fins and none.
Surfing is being local yet still searching.
It’s road-trips, boarding passes & rocking boats.
It’s a tropical reef & a track through the dunes.
Surfing is the first view of the ocean every morning.
Surfing is who we are…
SURFING IS EVERYTHING.

For the very first time, the quote above made me say, “No, no. Surfing is not everything.” Everyone who knows me pre-Bali would shake their heads in utter bewilderment.

I bought a ticket to Bali not just to surf but also to follow my heart. I was on a crossroads. In the past five years of my travels I always thought that I’m following my heart but I’m not. I was wearing this masquerade pretending to be happy and accomplished but I AM NOT. And Bali has a powerful way to make her visitors look inside and delve deeper.

A pemangku or Balinese priest preparing for a ritual

Bali. A world-class surfing destination. Almost all surfers from all over the world put Bali in their “Surfing Spots Bucketlist” dreaming of catching a Balinese wave. Also known as the “Island of the gods,” Bali’s tropical weather, rugged landscape, towering volcanoes, rice terraces and love of the art and culture sounds like a paraiso, a perfect getaway.

I thought I was on a getaway only to find out that I was starting a journey of no return, a journey within. How God used surfing to bring me to Bali- not to surf but to question my life, my purpose and everything in between.

It started when I entered a yoga place for meditation I didn’t know. I came in because my would-be girlfriend was there and she wants me to go to meditation with her. I love being with her and wanted to get to know her more and the things that she loves doing so I did went to the meditation. Coming from a Baptist (born-again Christian) background I was somehow hesitant but I told myself to open up. And true enough during the meditation I was in tears, I was seeing visions, my body was shaking like crazy like I have an epilepsy. For the very first time I felt the energy rush from the base of my spine to my brain and distributed to limbs. It was so powerful my arms and hands cannot handle the shaking. I was in tears. I was trembling. I was clueless of what is happening.

That experience brought more questions, my mind was in a constant battle. I didn’t know what’s happening. Confusion. Questions. More visions and spirits too. And yes more questions followed. The only thing I knew is that I’m into a life-changing experience and God used surfing (and Bali) to bring me back to me, to myself, to knowing Who Am I, to discovering the true me.

“It taught me that surfing is not everything. It taught me that being in tune with myself is far better than seeing my toes on the nose, that knowing the divine purpose of my life is everything.”

I was in Bali for three long weeks and I didn’t feel the magnet of surfing. Yes, I did surf but I just can’t feel the stoke that I always feel when I was surfing back home. It was weird. I was doing hangfives and experiencing the longest wave rides of my life but there was no celebration or leap of joy. Unnatural?

I guess my mind and body was in a meditative state. Every wave I rode was a reminder that true stoke comes from within; that bliss is not only found in surfing the best wave. It taught me that surfing is not everything. It taught me that being in tune with myself is far better than seeing my toes on the nose, that knowing the divine purpose of my life is everything.

My girlfriend Callie wrote about the people who helped us in the journey together that you may want to check if you are planning to visit Bali soon: 10 Healers and Yoga Teacher to Meet in Ubud, Bali.