Know the Feeling

Not very long ago, a friend texted me:

Miks, tanong ko lang ha.. ano ba talaga meaning ng 'stoked'?

My head went around in circles thinking of an answer, and so I just replied:

"When you finally get to try surfing or wakeboarding or skating, you'll know."

According to Mr Webster,

stoked
adj. Slang

1. Exhilarated or excited.
2. Being or feeling high or intoxicated, especially from a drug.

He doesn't mention anything about sports.. he probably never surfed.

Now before writing this, I thought to myself, who am I to define the word? I'm no professional. Sure, I can catch a wave, I can ride the wake, and I can skate a bit, but I won't claim to be the all-knowing advocate for stoke.

All I know is, I've felt it. I felt it the first time I felt my board glide across the water with me standing on it, I felt it when I finally landed a ramp attempt in the cable park. I felt it when I skated down that dreaded Pili corner and lived to tell about it (with a bunch of scars to support my story). I even felt it the first time I lifted off the ground with my pole (when I was learning to Pole Vault back in college), I feel it everytime I jump off a cliff, and I felt it when I first touched a turtle while diving.

Maybe it's just a feeling of accomplishment, or a pure adrenaline rush. I've read articles even trying to study the exact chemicals in the brain that produce the feeling, and even the author found it difficult to conceive.

Anyway, this is my feeble attempt:
I think it's a feeling of temporary ecstasy/exuberance brought about by a feat you never thought you could or would do... with an addictive property that will keep you eternally hungry for more.

It's the feeling that brought forth extreme sports, competitions, and billion-dollar industries. It's the feeling that started the company I work for, and it's the reason the company lives on.

It's true when they say that the beginners who stand up for the first time can be just as stoked as those psychotic surfers who drop down 40ft faces and come out alive with the biggest smiles on their faces.Whatever it is, it's a feeling that should be shared and passsed on from one person to the next... to add a little less stress and bring a whole lot more joy as we each strive to breathe through our lifetimes on this awesome planet.



Ok, I'm done now.

Water Sentiments

It's a daily struggle to live in a world of people. It adds a totally different factor to the things you get into. I try surfing for instance, and yet am intimidated by the people already into the sport... then there's that pressure of fitting in with the "community", even if you totally suck and you try your best not to be another poser. And then you shove it off and remind yourself that you don't care what people think, and you get into the water and paddle your way to the lineup thinking you're gonna surf because you want to have fun in the ocean and you wanna get better at it. And then you get to the line up and everyone is there with pretty much the same reasons and you're all fighting for the chance to have that magical ride and you end up not riding at all because you don't want to get in the way of anyone better than you. And so you end up paddling back to a friendlier spot where the waves are smaller and people are struggling just as much as you. You catch an easy wave or 2, feel the stoke, feel proud of yourself as you paddle back to wait for another one. You smile once in a while at the stranger next to you, then you catch another wave. Before you know it, 4 hours has passed and your skin is nice and toasted. As you catch another wave and lose count, you feel you've earned your spot in the line up, and then you stop worrying, you stop caring what they think.

I don't know about you, but this is how I feel in a crowd. Perhaps I'm too hard on myself. I probably have it all wrong, but I say it out loud anyway.

I wanna surf again... in an empty line up... with just me and the water... no other factors.