I captured this moment last fall in Northern California while on vacation. I watched several surfers stand for long periods of time watching the water. Often in groups chatting and laughing but watchful of the water. Always watching. Since I grew up 30 miles from Youngstown, I had absolutely no idea why they were watching the water so intently and I was curious. So, I asked a very young surfer why everyone appeared to be watching the water. He responded with a very detailed answer about tides, rocks, current, and crowd. I got lost in his answer somewhere around his tide explanation. He must have noticed my confusion and simply stated, “Waiting for the wave”. AH! Waiting for the wave! I got it! Maybe.
As I waited for the sun to set, I dug my toes into the sand and my thoughts began to wonder. I thought about waiting for the wave. I thought about how many other elements made riding the wave a perfect ride. I thought about waiting. Waiting for everything to be just right to take that chance. I thought about my own life and how many times I’ve waited for everything to be perfect before I took a chance. I thought about how many missed opportunities I’ve had because nothing is ever perfect.
The setting sun brought me back to reality. I started to photograph, well, I tried to start snapping photos of the setting sun but the surfers were in all my shots. Gathered in various groups all chatting, laughing, and having a great time together. I was witnessing community on the beach in Northern California during the most beautiful sunset. Wow! Talk about a wave! I missed home in that moment. I missed my community. I missed my friends. I missed St. John’s, where everyone is welcome and loved. We all may be waiting for our wave or waiting for the perfect conditions to take a chance or not but we are all doing it together. I couldn’t ask to be in a better place than right here in Youngstown Ohio.