Surfin' Swanage

It's not often that surfing can be added to the list of sea-related activities, in Swanage. Today there were a few eager folk making the most of the opportunity. Despite the high winds and drizzle, there they were, ready to catch the next wave that came. Some managed to stand up for a bit - but let's face it, it's not Bondi, is it?! Kimmeridge would probably have been a far better place to go to surf, but to be fair, there were some waves, there were some boards, and there were some men prepared to give it a go, so why not? Brrrrrrr.

I do like a bit of spontaneity. I imagine the guys in these photos probably had other plans for today, but they dropped them in favour of some fresh air, sea and rain and to feel they made the most of the opportunity given to them. I am beginning to live more in a spontaneous mode. It's one of the perks of not being regimented to work hours or shift patterns. There are days when I don't have any plans at all, beyond dropping my daughter off at school. I walk out of the school gates, and think about what to do. It's a liberating experience, albeit slightly unnerving, as I sometimes wander aimlessly through town until I think of something interesting to do! Occasionally it involves cake in some form; frequent trips to the supermarket to get stuff I forgot to buy the day before/earlier; getting the house straight, painting with my son or playing with lego, or going to the park. All these and more. What an exciting life I lead!!
The most spontaneous thing I ever did was to enter into a marathon. I just did it. I decided one day that I would find a charity to sponsor (Quest4Change), and enter to run. I didn't think that hard about it. Running a marathon was a childhood ambition, and one that I never thought I'd achieve, but when I came to the application page, I thought it might be fun to do. And a good way to keep fit. I did the Brighton marathon earlier this year. The training was the exact opposite of spontaneous, though, and required meticulous planning, a huge amount of discipline, and some cake. I made a fabulous friend in Claire, my running partner and co-Brighton marathon completer, and I couldn't have done it without her. I look back at our training runs with happy memories...the leg pain, the cold, the hills, the dog-crap pavement-dodging, and the mud; the sweets to get us to Old Harry, the chats we'd have and the feeling of achievement at the end of each run, and ultimately, of course, at the end of our Marathon run. All this from a spontaneous moment at my laptop.
It is possible to achieve anything in life.  Sometimes, it might feel like climbing the most difficult of hills to get to the top, but once the struggle to climb is over, the view is breathtaking, the sense of achievement is fullfilling, and the desire to continue on to the next adventure continues. Sometimes, it may mean stepping into a cold, stormy sea, but once in the water, the waves start appearing, and it becomes a matter of time, patience and perseverence to ride the crest and feel the buzz of elation, accomplishment and satisfaction that a goal has been achieved.
I firmly believe in stepping out of my own comfort zone, to push further and to explore what I am capable of. Living in the moment, taking on acts of spontaneity, being prepared to see where I am taken is increasingly how I am viewing life - within reason of course...jumping on the next plane to Australia and backpacking for a year is not reasonable, although something I plan to do later on -once I get over the fear of flying - and I plan to be spontaneous more frequently. I AM grateful, thankful and lucky to be where I am in my life at this moment. I don't know where my next spontaneity will take me but I'm happy to find out!