Week #331 – Repost: Ride the Wave! (In Memory of Caitlin Kelley)

Greetings, Tribe!

Last week I got word that a sweet neighbor, friend, and fellow hospitality heart from Ocean Grove had passed away suddenly. She was warm and welcoming and young…way too young.

And so, I want to repeat this post for her — because she loved this phrase as much as I did. And she always had a way of reminding me of my own words:

“Ride the wave.”

“Ride the wave” became a sort of mantra during Rob’s funeral.  I had written it on the back of his car in window chalk…because it was the last thing I said to him.  He was fighting so hard.  And having no words, no answers, no nothing for this perfectly healthy and beautiful young man with everything to live for…the only thing that came to mind was a surfing analogy.

But the words are not mine.  They are wise words that came to us from an experienced screenwriter friend as we were riding the rapidly changing highs and lows of our first script going out to market.  Our friend is a surfer too, and it was a language we immediately understood: you can’t control the outcome, just the effort.  Skills, preparation, determination, focus…those were all on us.  After that, just “ride the wave” the furthest and best you can.

It became a mantra for us when facing difficulties or challenges: “Just ride the wave.”

Surfing was a language that Rob understood, too — and it can teach you a lot about life.  You don’t just run out and jump in hoping for the best.  There’s a lot to learn before you get that first ride — and there’s a lot more practice after that in order to do it even moderately well.  Like most things Rob picked up, he took to it almost immediately — and enjoyed it immensely.  And his happiness became our happiness, too!  (You can ride waves of happiness, too!)

Friends, the waves of life keep coming. Some are perfect and beautiful and clean…and some are rough and nasty and utterly unrideable.

Are you — or someone you know — facing a wave right now?

Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: “RIDE THE WAVE!”  Like the waves of the ocean, we can’t always control the conditions in our lives. (Didn’t 2020 teach us that?!) You can try to go over them, under them, around them…or get knocked down by them.  Or you can RIDE THE WAVE.  With a little practice and preparation…you can be ready to paddle in when the wave comes to you.  Perfect conditions or not…we can only control our responses.  The enjoyment and fulfillment is in the ride itself! (And it’s helpful to remember that wipe-outs are legendary, too!)

Ride that wave, Caity…right to the shore, where I know you will be greeted with a smile, a wave, and a very big hello. Rest in Heaven, Girl.

Whatever you’re facing…you’ve got this!  Paddle in, pop up, and ride that wave!  

Spread Happyness — and RIDE THE WAVE!!!

1/15/21 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com