Rooting for the Charts and Graphs
It’s another overcast morning here in Dana Point. I’m wondering if this is going to be the new normal for a while. It’s right around this time of year when we lose the sun until late morning or early afternoon or never. This lasts until some time in August. Regardless, the air outside is mild. My last meeting ends at 9:30 (they started at 5:30) and I change into my trunks and head out the door.
I’m jittery from my home buying stress but I’m now on the other side of a big part of that. I finally liquidated the funds I need for my down payment. I have had this stock lying around for years and I used to rarely watch it. I’m not much of a “market guy.” However now that I actually need to cash in, I’ve been watching very closely and this whole tariff war thing has made a roller coaster out of the market. I like roller coasters but not this one. On Monday, my stock hit its lowest in months and then yesterday it slightly recovered and I wondered if I should sell and then this morning as soon as the market opens, it is up like 4% and reaches it’s highest point all year. Like I said, I’m not a stock trader person and I’m wondering what I should do. I close the house in 2 weeks and need to liquidate but what if the number keeps going up? I ask AI when is the best time of day to sell stock. I’m hoping it says “now” because this is going to drive me crazy. It says the morning is the best because all the news comes out in the morning. So I sell. Then the stock drops a dollar. So I got the highest price of the day. Whew. The best thing of all is that it is now sold. It’s done. I can’t go back. So there is no sense thinking about it anymore. I feel like I just got off a joyless roller coaster, but being off a joyless roller coaster is much better than being on a joyless roller coaster.
So I am feeling particularly ready to get in the water. I know the ocean will help to settle my nerves. I get out of my car and head down the stairs on this dreary Wednesday but I am very happy to be here. The sand is up a bit more. There is no longer a step from the end of the concrete to the sand. There is some surf in the water too. A good set rolls in that is probably almost head high which is not big but more than we have seen in several days. The sets are, as they say, “lully.” I don’t see much of anything other than that one wave.
The water feels a little warmer on my feet today. This week’s water temperature forecast was weird. It starts off talking about how the water has warmed up. Yeah it did over a WEEK AGO but actually cooled off a bit late last week. Then it says how we are expecting a cool down from northwest winds mid week. What? There are no northwest winds of consequence in the forecast. Just a southerly flow mostly which is good for temps (good = warm). This happens every once in a while with Surfline (the forecasting company) where the report narrative does not align with the charts and graphs. I’m rooting for the charts and graphs this week.
I look out onto the water and see various shades of blue which contrasts beautifully with the gray sky. It reminds me of a picture I took a couple months ago and when I look at that picture, I wonder if the water really looked like that or was it just my photo edits. I admit that my edits sometimes take liberties and embellishes the image from what may have actually been there. I never feel bad or like those pics are inauthentic. The photo is as I experienced the moment. The ocean is a magical place and sometimes I have no choice but to embellish in order to represent that magic. Nothing is as we see it. Everything is as we feel it. I don’t believe in objective reality.
So I’m off. As I get closer to the south end of the beach I am trying to pay attention to the wave situation near the cliffs since lately the sandbar out that way has formed a new break. Sure enough, I’m starting to see surfers hanging out much closer to me than I am used to. I look up and a wave rolls forward way out past the usual breaking spot. I pivot nearly 90 degrees to make my way to deeper water.
I pass something dark and it is two surfers sitting on their boards. They are way out here. Part of me wants to pause and ask them if they would mind if I took a picture of their legs dangling beneath the water. I was just thinking yesterday how that would be a fun shot. I feel too weird to ask and keep swimming.
I finally reach my turnaround spot and I am lingering here and taking in the 360 degree view. Then I see a wave coming and it looks like it is going to break right in front of me. Interesting. It’s big but there is a lot of water here and the wave is just feathering at the crest and it passes over me and breaks almost immediately inshore of me. That was cool but time to move on.
The rest of the swim was not particularly note worthy yet totally awesome. Who doesn’t want to be where totally awesome is not noteworthy but just the norm? The sun never does come out and as I sit here writing this, I think it may not come out all day. That’s ok. It’s all good.
I finish the swim and I’m half expecting one of the larger waves to sneak up on me but I just keep swimming until I am practically lying on the sandy floor. I let a small wave role over me which provides enough depth to make it easier to push myself up to my feet. I am now vertical. This gray April air feels good.
