restraint.

restraint:
[understanding one's limitations, extents, fears, and finding comfort in that place just short of the edge].

when there's swell, it can be hit and miss.  somedays will be as crowded as any other spot, while other times you can luck into having a spot all to yourself.  it's those infrequent times when you do manage to catch an empty moment that somehow exists outside of the normal passage of things  that really makes you wonder how it could all happen so perfectly despite the adverse odds.  last weekend, a friend and i hiked in to surf a relatively remote point break, trying to escape the crowds at the more accessible options.  there were a few others out early on, but the swell was mixed enough to allow us all to spread out between sections on the point.  i thought to myself that it's so rare to catch the place with good head high surf, with no one around you.  we secretly rode wave after wave, praying no one would show up.  my friend paddled in after some hours, and i began debating whether i should be considerate and follow him in - or stay out longer to try to get in as much as i could being such a rare occurance.  after some time, i paddled into a set wave and rode it all the way down the length of the point stepping off on the sand; certainly my best wave of the morning.  walking back up the point, i wondered if i should paddle out again or keep walking to join him.  i decided to leave it at that, despite the epic conditions - great surf, sunny skies, and zero crowd.  my friend commented on my last wave and let me know it was fine if i wanted to head out again for more, but we then agreed that leaving with the momentum of spirit offered by those last memorable moments would outweigh the few more (potentially less perfect) waves i could have caught before the tide dropped out, the wind came up, or others might have paddled out.  as we rounded the point, sure enough we encountered a handful of other surfers eagerly headed our way.  we knew that we were leaving with verdent memories whose conclusion we had determined, and passed the empty gift to the next seekers of solitude.