No Guts, No Story!

by Florence

I saw the ad that said, “Anyone can learn to surf in 1 two hour lesson.” Accompanying, was a picture of a woman, aged 45, standing on a surfboard, whooshing on the crest of wave, toward the sandy Maui beach. The guarantee of “Stand in 2 hours or your money back,” made me think, “If I just turn that four and five around, I could be their new poster girl!” Wouldn’t that be great to tell my surfing sons when they ask, “What’d ya do for your 54th birthday, Mom?” My answer? “I hung ten.”
Would they laugh or feel appalled that I’d invaded their private domain? I could almost hear their wheels turning as they groan, “She is going everywhere and doing everything we do! Is nothing sacred anymore?”
I know my youngest son confided to my fianceé, “Oh, don’t bother to take Mom to a Grateful Dead concert. She won’t understand the music.” This from the same son who in his high school years, wasn’t too crazy about my singing along with ‘’his music’ when “Judy Blue Eyes Suite” played on the car radio-even though the clue was clear that I did actually know all of the words and had been alive and breathing during the 60’s.
This birthday, I just wanted to do something I’d never done before. Something, perhaps, I’d been reluctant or afraid I was too old to do. Something daring for a 54 year old woman.
With the time constraints of two days left on Maui, my choices were between learning to surf or scuba dive and enjoying the last day swimming and listening to whale songs in the waters off the beach.
I chose whale song and scuba diving to visit with Giant Sea Turtles and swim with Dolphins.
My sons can teach me to surf!