The "Go with the Waves" Design was born as a Reminder that:

• I must learn to trust my journey each and every day.
• We can't control what will happen tomorrow or what others will do.
• We can only control ourselves—our emotions, thoughts, and actions.

For a big part of my early adulthood, I felt like a victim of my circumstances. Yes, there were terrible situations and people in my life, but in one way or another, I was allowing it all to happen.

I didn’t realize that it was up to me to make a change, starting with my own way of thinking...

As I reflect on the inspiration behind my designs, I’ve been revisiting the amazing books in my collection from the past decade.

These books have profoundly shaped my life and shifted my thinking in ways that align with who I am today which is why I feel so called to share.

The "Go with the Waves" design emerged from my desire to remember these vital lessons—lessons I’ll share more deeply here as this blog evolves.

I have so much to learn when it comes to surfing, and a long way to surfing effortlessly but its been worth the effort... 

I’ve been trying to surf for a long time, and I've had to battle that impostor syndrome that would tell me I was not a "Surfer Chick" and would never be able to be or do those things...

But maybe that was the reason I wanted to do it even more, to:

Prove myself that the labels of a sport or really of anything should ever block us from doing that thing we really want to try and do!

While it can be scary and overwhelming honestly almost every time I go, once you catch that first wave, you’re hooked—you want to keep going back for more!

Once you get through that initial block in your mind, you never regret being out in the water with nature giving you so much not just physically, but emotionally and even spiritually in my opinion... 

While I want to keep going back any time I can, this is a committed sport I know as my kids grow I will keep getting back to it more and more.

I feel so grateful for the experiences it has given me this far as I realize the privilege of the sport I've been able to play with. 

I think one of the reasons I keep returning to surfing is that it feels like a powerful metaphor for life.

Perhaps this is how I stumbled upon this book that deeply resonated so with me and expresses what I feel I've been learning from this surfing journey. 

"Surfing the Sea of Chi" by Lea Williamson

I may have mentioned some of my surfing inspiration to my mother-in-law, which led her to recall this author. Lea Williamson, a local surfer and energy healer from Satellite Beach, wrote this book—and it came to me as a godsend just when I needed it!

I’d love to share this beautiful passage from Chapter 10 (page 101) of her book, which perfectly aligns with what I’m trying to express about surfing

"In life, it is the same. I breathe and I learn how to crawl, how to stand, how to move, and how to direct which way I want to go; and with any luck, I'll learn how to read the changing tides and waves of energy that roll through life, so I can ride them with effortless effort.

Hopefully, I learn as I grow to take care of myself in the world so that I don't have to be carried by others.

In the ocean of life, while we may be out in the water with others, it's up to us to save ourselves, to take care of ourselves and our world.

How efficiently we do it depends on our ability to see where we've put ourselves in the lineup in relation to the job or life partner or whatever energy may be rolling in.

Will our timing and position be right to catch our dream job? It's up to us to make it happen, to position ourselves in line with the flow."

Thank you, Lea Williamson, for capturing this surfing and life metaphor so beautifully.

If you’re a surfer—or if you’ve been trying to surf—you might understand the lingo better, but I believe this wisdom applies to all of us! 

If this book speaks to you, you can find it on Amazon or anywhere books are sold.

For more surfing-inspired creativity, check out my Go with the Waves art collection, featuring wall art, t-shirts, and more!

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