For people like me, who overthink and worry too much about stuff, a trip to Zarautz is without a doubt a good digression. These were a few days of necessary simplicity: surf, good company, campsite life and, most importantly, running by change. And by the way I learned a couple of important things that, without knowing, I needed to embrace.
The first one, do stuff instead of doubt about stuff. I don’t recall how far my interest in travelling, surfing and photography goes. I talk about it, I adore listening about; but I’ve never tried to create myself one of those stories. Not really. I didn’t take pictures because I didn’t know how to. I didn’t surf because I had no time. All excuses, of course.
In the end, the only thing left was a feeling of frustration regarding the things I’d never let myself try. Just in case they went wrong, I guess. A bit stupid, huh? Zarautz made me break away from these excuses, understand that if someone wants to do something, they just do it. There’s not much more secret than that.
Now my second lesson. In a few words: you gotta be where you are. When I was inside the water I wasn’t thinking in anything else. I was fully focused in correcting the mistakes of my last wave (which are quite a few if you’re a beginner). The rest of the surfers were probably thinking the same.
If I spent the afternoon with the camera, I didn’t care for any other thing that wasn’t playing around and capturing a weird angle or a moment I thought was interesting. I was simply doing those things I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, for the pleasure of it and to learn. Of course I fell more times than I stood up. Of course I deleted more pictures than I kept. Nonetheless, I felt I was were I had to be. And I was sharing all this with people who are worth it, which definitely adds up a lot of sense to a lot of things.
I’m not a surfer nor a photographer, but those days in Zarautz I got to surf some waves and shot some interesting pictures. So I could consider this short trip as a starting point for both surfing and photography. And travelling too. If something has stayed with me is that I will keep trying.