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Dawid Mocke: "Life and shoveling with the wind are very similar"

14 2020 April - 12: 32

Coni Cuenca Morató has translated the work of Dawid Mocke from English, 'Why life and downwind are very similar' that he has published on his website MockePaddling, and that was provided by Juan Carlos Sánchez, surfski expert, national coach flat waters and sea kayak, and president of the Jávea Surfski Club to make it known to the members of the Club of which she is a part.

The article is by Dawin Mocke, who was a four-time surfski world champion between 2009 and 2012, and is married to Olympic champion Nikki. He lives in Cape Town (South Africa) and is an executive member of "paddle for the planet" and founding owner of Paddling Mocke.

The text indicates how in the practice of Surfski (a combination of surfing and water skiing), skills are acquired that can help us understand the current moment.

Here is the translated text:

"Life and shoveling with the wind are very similar"
    
Our circumstances have changed rapidly, we are not worth the passage of years or months, now they are daily, even hourly. And these hours are uncertain and change rapidly.

We simply do not know what tomorrow has in store for us and thinking about it for a moment leads to fear and in the end, to a pandemic of panic.

It is the New Normal, today, now, at this moment.

A paddler knows this feeling. It is that moment where he holds his breath when the waves collide with each other and he is floating on the crest of that wave doubting himself.

Seconds between panic and final exhalation.

It is the most difficult part of paleo. Those seconds, especially for those who start, where you lose your balance, you block yourself and there are moments of doubt; your coach yells at you: "COME ON" and your mind says "NOOO" and then you must choose, with great courage, to paddle with instability and towards the wind, asking yourself how can I control the
push movement on top of the wave ?.

At that time we call it "The Uncertainty Zone (Learning Zone)". It is there, in that area where you are propelled forward and backward as you stroke, you are in a current. It is fast and stimulating and you take a speed with the wave that you never imagined. It's both a scary obstacle and a wonderful opportunity, and it only happens when you learn to paddle yourself in that Uncertainty Zone, then, and only then, will you master the sport of Surfski.

The words New Normal could be used for a "sea" with wave crests and questions and insecurities. It happens with terrifying speed and with constant changes. It is as if all of us are floating above these waves at a critical moment of currents. And here we find a beautiful metaphor in dealing with our own Uncertainty Zone, and I would like to suggest that what we are calling New Normality really is not that new.

Did we really know what each hour, day, month or year had in store for us?

Of course we knew that we had planned a future full of good predictions, the "waters" were calm, but today we know nothing.

When we study wave physics, the "Uncertainty Zone" is neither fixed nor stable, is it? The wave is different every day and behaves as it behaves. The reason for this "uncertainty" has nothing to do with the wave and a lot to do with your ability to weather the storm. All you can do as a paddler is understand it, perceive it;
feel it and adapt. Learn to paddle in those circumstances.

When you decide to assume that moment of uncertainty, doubt or fear, it is when your learning as a paddler really begins.

And this is how we are today. We are faced with a reality that we have never experienced and therefore the feeling is very intense and uncertain. It can be scary to think about the facts and their repercussions, but it can also change your perception and focus on the truth, and that truth is that you never had control of what was going to happen to you, this is the same, only that it goes faster and is much more evident.

So if you are not in control of the situation, what do you really control?

You control your emotions, your feelings, your decisions.
You control your actions and reactions.
You control your talents and abilities, which you already have.
You control how you use them.

   
Just as the paddler going with the current cannot control the wind or waves, you cannot control what is happening now. But the paddler uses the tools that he or she has in his power and at his disposal; shovel and his dugout and use them to move through the situation and not just to float.
   
You can do the same!
   
The Uncertainty Zone should not be something to be afraid of as it is a situation that you have to think about and keep on shoveling, looking for opportunities to use the tools we have at our disposal to keep moving forward and even enjoy it!

As part of the global community, the world is learning a lot about unforeseen events, but not only that. We have learned how much we are connected to each other, how much we need each other and how our decisions and perceptions affect us both negatively and positively.

So hold on to the moment as it comes and use it to demonstrate and see how you can get out of this crisis using your skills, your gifts and your talents to pursue your dreams that are so worthwhile, helping and being useful to those who are close to you. and to the world. Do not use them for banal things and that you cannot control because you do not know what Tomorrow will bring you.

Dawid mocke

Translation: Consuelo Cuenca Morató

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