Cube

Pictures of the ocean hang on my office walls and each time I look at them I can almost feel the fresh salt air and smell the sea. My muscles twitch to the memory of the paddle stroke or roll captured in the shots.

Saturday starts replaying through my mind, the stiff wind, the beach and surfing sit on tops. An outgoing tide and the sandbar just up from the river entrance combine with the wind to create confused waves. The rip down the beach is intense and difficult to paddle against. It is not hard to see how several swimmers each year get into trouble here as the undertow tugs at my legs when I walk into the water. All of us struggle to stay in the stretch we are surfing.

Carl, Matt, Jess and I take turns assisting from shore. The students last about 5 to 10 minutes at a shot before getting tossed from their boats and coming back in to start over. Their excitement lasts until the very end and then they are so many zombies. I stare back at my computer screen surrounded by office sounds and air that is nothing like Saturday’s.