Friday Fun Flier XXX
It's the thirtieth FFF! (not pornographic, just roman numerals)
Quote of the week:
“People who are really ready to check out get into a wetsuit, and then get out on the water, and they’re riding a wave by themselves. That moment can be transformative. It helps them describe themselves with a new story. And if that new story is better than the old story? That’s powerful. When they’re done with that ride, they see the rest of their life differently. It’s very different than taking a pill.”
-Wallace J. Nichols (from the documentary below).
It’s the thirtieth Friday Fun Flier! I can’t believe it. As someone who’s always had trouble staying focused, this is the first time I’ve been able to keep a project going for this long! Thank you all for your support.
In celebration, I’ve decided to discount membership by 40% again! If you’d like to read along with The Unfamiliar Movement Project, have access to a private slack channel for readers (coming Saturday), and (pending more sign-ups) write paid guest posts, please consider supporting the blog!
As always, reply to this email if you truly can’t afford it but would like to join, and I’ll add you for free, no questions asked.
I just realized that the roman numerals have been off for the last few weeks… C’est la vie :) it’s the thirtieth FFF today if anyone’s been confused…
I bought my first surfboard! For the last few days, I’ve been hanging out in Dominical, a small town on the west coast of Costa Rica famous for big waves. I’ve been paddling out and getting blasted, day after day, determined to figure out how to ride the smaller board that I bought.
It has not, thus far, been successful. But I remain optimistic.
A documentary that showed me the real power of surf therapy:
Resurface
“The traumas live in their bodies. In order to get healing, you must involve the body in the treatment.”
“You have zero control over the ocean. The only thing you have control over is your attitude and your actions.”
This half-hour Netflix documentary focuses on Operation Surf, a charity that works with disabled and suicidal veterans, teaching them how to surf as a form of therapy.
We meet several veterans in this documentary who had decided to take their own lives and then were given something to look forward to the next day through the power of surfing. Several experts are consulted in this film about the impact that surfing can have on the brain and recovery from PTSD.
Forming new neural pathways through learning new movements that demand concentration can completely change the life of someone suffering from PTSD or ingrained trauma.
I’d recommend it to anyone interested in the body’s power to heal itself. Worth seeing! If you’d like to donate to the great work this nonprofit is doing, here is a link to the donation page:
https://operationsurf.org/donate/
A page-turner I read this week:
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Oh my GOD. Read this book with a box of tissues, or you may ruin your clothes from all the salt in your tears.
The Nightingale is a novel about a part of WWII we don’t often hear about: the women. This 500-page epic tells the story of two French sisters living under German occupation, one who just wants to keep her family and friends alive, and one who is determined to help downed pilots escape the clutches of the SS and Gestapo.
We’ve heard so much about the war itself, the front lines, D-Day, the political movers and shakers, and those brave souls who helped hide Jewish families. This book zooms in on another part of the war: the front lines of home life under the Nazis.
It’s heartbreaking, but it’s also so, so lovely. I recommend it to anyone with a heart.
That’s it for today folks! I hope you have a blessed week ahead of you. May it be stimulating and challenging and never boring.
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The XXX took me aback for a second HAHA. Smart touch there