Standing here at the ocean’s age, in Caleta de la Famara, gazing at the raging surf, taking in my last glimpse of the towering carved out volcanic peaks to the North of the bay, and then glancing back to the South at the town of La Famara, I have at last found some peace. I arrived in this town nearly 3 weeks ago, on a mission to learn to surf. I’m supposed to be out rowing across the Atlantic Ocean right now, but I’m not. The rest of the team left Gomera 2 weeks ago today. Instead, I’m here in La Famara trying to sort things out within and see clearly what there is to learn from this whole experience.
But today I’m getting ready to leave my little home of La Famara, Lanzarote, and the beach I have come to love. I’ve learned how to surf here and gain a different appreciation of the power and force of the ocean. I’ve been pounded relentlessly by it’s waves and then stood on the surfboard and glided effortlessly over their frothy crests. I’ve walked the sandy majestic shores of the expansive beach for hours staring out to sea. I’ve sat at cafes sipping wine or drinking cappuccino, lost in deep thought and pondering my next steps. What to say, I’m going to miss this place even though the ups and downs have been incredibly extreme! And though my time here hasn’t been the easiest for me, it’s also in a very strange way been a very very special time.
Yes, life lessons learned in Famara. Hang in there. Things always change. Not necessarily for the better, but don’t fret, they will change. So you just have to hang in there because life is like the ebb and flow of the tide. One minute the tide is up, and the next minute it’s not, and the changes in the tide have all kinds of ramifications — shifting the wave patterns, exposing what’s underneath the waters, bringing periods of turbulence, and then periods of calm. Life, like the ebb and flow of the tide, is ever changing.
So yes, I’m going to miss this beach and this funky little town of La Famara, but I’m headed to Germany today to see my closest dearest best friend, Minka, and her daughter Rebecca. I can’t imagine a better place to be spending Christmas than with them! I’ll take my new learned lessons and apply them to what’s next, which by the way appears to be an opportunity to crew on a 78 ft. Maxi across the Atlantic out of Gibraltar. I told them all, “My way back to North America would be by sea.”, and so it will be.
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