Finding That Work/Surf Balance Is Easier Said Than Done

Anyone who has been tortured by the time and exertion necessary to catch a solid overhead wave in a crowded surf spot knows a good bottom turn takes more effort than most work at the office. And yet we will ditch school, leave work early, paddle against massive closeouts, and drive two hours to the beach rather than complete the assignment our boss just gave us.

Why? I suspect it is because work is what we have to do and leisure is the stuff no one requires of us – no matter what kind of effort is involved. Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit.

There are those lucky guys who actually get paid to surf. But since I’m not good enough to make that cut, I always thought getting paid to sleep would be my dream job. When SURFER had an office just five minutes from Lower Trestles, we would always beat the rush hour traffic by leaving work at noon.

I don’t mind working actually. I love what I do. I just want to do it when the waves aren’t good, and the sun isn’t shining. That’s why I hate deadlines – you can’t just get away. Sometimes I’ll be staring at the surf report camera watching a perfect wave roll through and think ‘I have to get out of here!’ I keep hitting the escape key, but I'm still at work.

Which brings us to the point here: work is considered work because it is not our choice – where play (no matter how frustrating, difficult or downright dangerous) is something we choose to do. So perhaps when they say “do what you love” there is some unrealized connection there, since we tend to do much better at our play (which we love) than we do with our work (which we don’t.) One thing I’m pretty sure of - the first symptom of a nervous breakdown is believing that working is so important that you can’t stop. It’s true that hard work never killed anybody. But why take a chance?

Nobody ever expressed their dying regrets to be “I wish I had spent more time at the office.” And nobody ever said “I wish I hadn’t gone surfing today.”

Of course there is another important axiom to remember when feeling guilty about all the stuff you feel you should be doing: Hard work pays off in the future. Surfing pays off now .

And remember, even after working hard, kicking butt, struggling to constantly win – we still get old and die. The winner of the rat race is still a rat.

Related: In the Magazine: The SURFER Interview With Caitlin Simmers

Related: In The Magazine: Carissa Moore on Women's Surfing and Motherhood