Come up for air

Soon after my 40th birthday, my son Zach encouraged me to join him surfing in Hawaii. I'd grown up with the Atlantic Ocean as my playground - plenty of sailing, swimming and body surfing, but surfing with boards was a new experience.

On the island of Kauai, there is a beach with a sandy bottom and pounding tube waves, a local favorite.

As for me, I was probably over my head, but hey, I was on vacation.

I battled the incessant waves and felt as if I earned my rest out beyond the breakers. Soon I'd have to trade this relative security, for the unleashed power of real waves.

Hesitantly, I paddled to where all the surfers were catching ride after ride. A swell grew in the distance; the others pointed their boards towards the shore. A giant wall of water formed and lifted my body higher and higher. It was only me, the board, and a small patch of water falling away before me. Panic seized me! I asked myself, "Now what do I do?" but it was too late for questions. Any chance I had of catching the wave vanished as the nose of my board dove straight down like a Kamikaze pilot.

Three years as a lifeguard at the Jersey shore, watching surfing videos and years of listening to the Beach Boys never prepared me for what happened next. I quickly realized that I was scraping along the bottom a dozen feet beneath the surface, my right leg attached to a leash on my board. My board was caught in the wave and the taut leash was pulling me along as the force of the wave pressed my helpless body against the sand.

A calm overcame me.

"Relax. Don't fight the power of this wave. Let it pass overhead." After a long pause, I planted my feet firmly on the bottom. Pushing off with every bit of strength I had; I was surprised that it was still not enough to get me to the top. It took a couple of powerful strokes before my head surfaced and I was able to take a breath and humbly head for shore.

Fortunately, we can learn as we go, and within a week I was surfing with a modicum of confidence. It was that experience that forced me to recognize that indecision never gets you ahead of the wave. Partial commitment is not only an oxymoron; it is a recipe for failure.

Failure to catch a wave while surfing is not a big deal, but failure when it comes to our health is devastating. Being fully committed to health means being fully committed to choices that create positive health outcomes.

Proper nerve function is the essence of good health and the purpose of chiropractic health care. Only when we are fully committed to health can we get ahead of the wave and enjoy life to its fullest.

Dr. Ray Pope is a licensed chiropractor at Action Potential Chiropractic, Inc. on Camano Island.