#SeasonalSonnets 2019: 15th December

Hello my lovely readers

In yesterday's post I wrote about remembering the importance of  my own self-care, and the huge part nature plays in that. Today's entry is about perhaps the epitome of natural forces - the sea.

Thanks to the suggestion of my brilliant godmother, Jenny, I participated in one of the free adaptive surfing clinics provided by The Roxy Davis Foundation every month on Muizenberg Beach for people with a wide range of physical, sensory and cognitive impairments. I haven't been in the sea for many years due to chronic pain, but oh, how I've missed it - and one of the items on my Thirty Things Before Thirty list was to get back out there.

Now I can say I've not only returned to the sea but surfed; and it was, without even the slightest hyperbole, the best experience of my life so far. Even more significantly, whilst in the water I had zero pain. Zilch. That was despite sitting in a very new position.

My sense of safety was likely due to the wonderful group of people I had around me. My ever stalwart Mama, of course, and our dear Jo, and Jenny - but also coaches Adam and Camilla (who was my human chair on the board) and the terrific team of volunteers. Thanks to them I got down to the beach on an adapted chair:

Then Camilla and I got carried out into the water to catch some waves. I wanted to attach two videos of that bit to the end of this post, but the wifi isn't playing ball tonight, so hopefully they'll be up tomorrow on here, or I'll put them on social media. For now, because I'm still so stoked, here's a sonnet instead of more rambly prose:

15th December 2019

Tonight I sing the joys of yet more water

and how I've got addicted to the surf -

for I think now that there's nowhere I'd rather

be, nor nothing doing, on this earth.

As I so loved the ocean as a kid

(and when my now taut muscles were more malleable)

I so missed all the things that I once did

but came to think I'd no longer be capable.

Imagine then, today, my pure delight

discovering I'd not just swim again

but do something I never dreamed I might -

more than recouping, now I've extra gains.

If there's a thing your heart just longs to do

find other people who will help you to.