Life Surfing vs Flow Riding - Final Philippines Thoughts

Last day in the Philippines. It has been a nice month—relaxing, snorkeling, and surfing. This morning I rented a new board and went to Cloud 9. The break was big, strong, and powerful. I saw powerful, hollow barrels for the first time in my life. The only problem is how crowded it is—30 to 50 people all fighting for one wave, with the locals yelling at you to move out of the way. It can get dangerous. I like flowriding and wake surfing since you're all alone and the wave is consistent every time. Surfing, on the other hand, is different each day. Sometimes the waves are mushy, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes large. You need a different board depending on the wave. There's probably a metaphor in there somewhere. In the past, and for most Americans, people like clear paths—nothing out of the ordinary, no disruptions. They like seeing exactly what they're going to get—no questions needed. This is like flowriding or wake surfing: you know what to expect, everything is planned for you, all you have to do is subscribe. Surfing throws all of your expectations out the window. You must adapt to different scenarios. You can't use the same technique every day. You have to learn to be dynamic. Being dynamic is the best way to live. Too many people think they're a certain way and never change. The beauty of life is adapting and changing yourself continually. A friend recently told me that all the people we went to high school with have already graduated medical school. They've been on the path since freshman year of high school. That's analogous to flowriding or wake surfing—get on the wave, it's clear, with relatively defined instructions, and don't stray. Surfing through life is studying electrical engineering, quitting, becoming a backpacker rasta, and then having no idea what to do next! That being said, if you go too deep into backpacker rasta mode, you risk losing your intellectuality. I'm ready to ignite my intellect and create something great. I want to connect with more life surfers and fewer flowriders. I want to create and do cool shit—and I want to see others doing the same. After surfing, I went to a class with Mochi, who I did aero yoga with for the first time a couple of days ago. The class was hips and abs, but since I was the only one there, he gave me a personalized session. He told me about the importance of dynamic stretching and weighted stretching. He mentioned how yoga is nice but doesn't provide long-term relief for men who build muscle and get tighter than women. It was an interesting point. He said that usually the muscle itself is quite loose, but the fascia around the muscle gets super tight. You must do stretches that break up fascia. He taught me handstand basics and how to be safe. I'll practice my handstand in Indonesia. Mochi is from Colorado but moved to Bali and now Siargao, teaching calisthenics and acro yoga and trying to become an international entrepreneur. I talked with another friend about whether work should be a means to an end or a flaming passion. I'm still unsure what the right answer is. You probably need a healthy mix of both in life. As I prepare for Indonesia and also for my eventual return to the U.S., I'm taking stock of where I'm at. I think I'm a new person, for sure—with new values and new learnings. I feel like the software update from this trip is 85% complete. In Indonesia, I'll continue to work on eating healthy, really focus on my stretching and making my body feel good, research things that interest me and ignite my intellect, stay retired from partying and drinking, and just be more open to life. Excited to see what the future holds—and hopefully I get a little lost along the way!