On April 2022, I did something wild. Signed up for a 3-day surf-training right out in the heart of Arabian Sea, Mulki. Went solo for the first time in my life. No clue what I was doing. Just showed up with sunscreen, overconfidence, and zero balance.
It was Day 1, the ocean looked peaceful. 10 minutes later, I was upside down, coughing salt, bruises on my ribs, board smacking me like "you sure about this, bro?"
I finally caught a few waves on my own. Wasn't perfect, but it carried me. And for a moment, I wasn't thinking, I wasn't trying, I was just there. Alive. Moving with something way bigger than me.
Fell a hundred times that week. Swallowed enough salt to last a year. But each time I stood back up, the ocean felt a little less foreign. A little more like home. By Day 3, eventually, I learned the art of surfing and could manage to catch almost all waves
What I learned has stayed with me: You can prep hard, plan everything but some of the real lessons are the ones that crash into you, uninvited. Yes, uninvited!