Not a parent's heart, but a wife's heart (!?), 'Let's just give it a try!'

The impetus came from my husband's invitation. We always just walked along the shore or, at most, swam shallowly when we went to the sea. Friends had been telling me, “You live so close to the ocean, why not try surfing?” But until now, I was fully occupied with gardening and felt I had enough sports with running and yoga. Besides, I’d heard surfing cools the body, and ocean sports lead to sunburn. Even without that, I already get tanned from running and gardening. More tanning? That’s a no-go! …or so I thought, and avoided it.

So why did I accept my husband's invitation? It was because he, who hardly ever does any sports, said, “Why don't we try it?” I don't know what motivated him, but since he was keen to try, I felt I shouldn't discourage his budding interest – not out of parental affection, but out of a wife's affection (!?).

When we do anything, we always start with the equipment. We looked at boards in shops and tried on wear, but nothing quite hit the mark. Or rather, since I hadn't tried it yet, I didn't really know what would be good.

We decided, “Let's just give it a try!” and rented our gear from a surf shop that offered rentals by the beach. Trusting the shop owner's words, “Ours is a professional board, so you'll ride the waves well,” we headed to the sea.

The feeling of floating, the speed, the sense of becoming one with the wave – it’s all so much fun!

Actually, I had tried it once before, several years ago. But perhaps it was because I rented a board like a child's toy, or maybe the waves weren't good, but I only managed to ride the very first wave. That must have been what they call beginner's luck. After that, no matter how many times I tried, I couldn't ride any waves, so I didn't have any fond memories and had convinced myself it was difficult.

But that day, the waves were high, perfect for boogie boarding (I think). And the board was a professional one. “Alright!” I thought with anticipation, and tried riding the first wave. To my surprise, I glided smoothly, or rather, swooshed, all the way to the shore with ease! How wonderful that felt. The waves were high, so the speed was considerable. This is fun! With a shout of “Woooow!”, I reached the shore, then immediately grabbed my board, paddled out a little, and rode another wave….

Completely captivated by the charm of boogie boarding, I rode the waves again and again, never tiring. Once, I was caught by a wave at the shoreline and tumbled around in the shallow water, lightly bruising my shin. It seems one must never let their guard down, even in shallow water.

I want to get good enough to say, 'It's my hobby!'

“Discovering Marine Sports with a Boogie Board!?” (2)

A fatigue that makes your body feel lighter

Still, just holding onto a board and riding waves, boogie boarding is a full-body workout. It uses muscles all over your body and requires a sense of balance. If you do this seriously, your whole body will surely become incredibly toned. The proof? I had sore muscles around my shoulders two days later (!?). And even after just 30 minutes, I felt a pleasant fatigue. It's a bit different from the fatigue you get from land sports. Perhaps I could describe it as a fatigue that makes your body feel lighter. And that feels good.

I've heard that people who are into surfing go out for just 30 minutes before work or whenever they have a little free time, and I used to wonder, “What’s so great about it?” But after experiencing boogie boarding, I can now imagine why.

“But, oh no, I might get hooked,” I worry. I'm the type who gets tanned incredibly quickly, even from just 30 minutes of late afternoon sun. The problem is, when I'm shooting, I often have to pose for photos with models, and if I adjust the brightness to match the model's fair skin, I appear jet black, and if I adjust it to match me, the model looks washed out. Recently, I've been apologizing to the photographers constantly. I'm truly sorry….

The reason I decided to write about this “OUR BOOM” in a series is…

Meanwhile, my husband recently received a latest-model boogie board he ordered from America. It's an inflatable air mattress type, said to be the fastest right now. The other day, I tried riding the waves with it, but perhaps because the board was too long for me and didn't fit, or maybe because it's an air mattress and lacks stability, I couldn't control it properly and couldn't get my body onto the mat correctly to ride the waves well. It seems that no matter how excellent the equipment, it's meaningless without the skill to use it.

So, how long will this “OUR BOOM” last? The feeling of exhilaration and the physical exertion are appealing, and I wanted to get good enough to say, 'It's my hobby!' Just then, it suddenly got cold. From now on, it won't be so comfortable. So, I decided to write about it in this series. After all, if I make it public, I'll have to continue for a bit to save face, and it will motivate me to 'do it!' I'll use that psychology. When I told my husband, he looked at me with a mixture of suspicion and anxiety, asking, “You’ve already written about it, are you sure you can keep it up?” I declared I would do it, but wait? Come to think of it, who was it that suggested it in the first place?