Duck diving is the way that a surfer dives under an oncoming wave as he or she paddles out to the lineup. Ducking under the wave ensures that all the progress made by paddling out is not lost by being washed backwards by the wave.
After having spent most of the week frantically trying to wrap up a course redesign, watching surfers paddle out to catch waves was a pleasant diversion.
As a surfer approached a small whitecap, he started paddling faster and faster, and just before the wave crested, he pushed his board down and dove under the surface with it in a "duck dive." The swell passed over him, and he continued out to find a better wave to ride. If he had tried to go over the white water, he would waste energy and lose progress he had already made paddling out.
I've never attempted surfing, but I felt a sudden kinship with the surfers, paddling like mad to make progress toward a goal. While the surfer is looking for the best wave to ride in, there are several smaller, but still significant waves coming at them. By diving UNDER the small waves, they conserve their energy for the best waves to ride.
After 17 years as a full-time mom and part-time instructor, this was my first week back at full-time work. Over the past few months, the pace and workload have been picking up steadily, and spring semester looks to be a doozy. One onerous course rewrite, on the outer edges of my skill set and comfort level, was threatening my joy and stealing my energy for several exciting projects that I was eager to pursue.
Never known for my self-discipline, I had spent the previous few weeks on everything except this rewrite, until the deadline was staring me in the face. Finally this week, I pushed aside all the distractions and focused on the task at hand, grinding through the course plan. It was the only way to get past the churning white water and move on to the sweet waves further out.
After my "duck dive week," the syllabus is submitted, the class time is planned out, and I can move beyond this churning water to more appealing opportunities on the horizon. As my family and I adjust to my new full-time role, I'll need to remember to duck dive under the urgent to get to the important. For example, today I arranged with Ellen to have her cook meals on days I'm working late, so I can be fully present when I get home, rather than racing through meal prep. So both at work and at home, I'm thrilled to lean in and ride some challenging, interesting, and impactful waves. I can't wait to get after them!
With what she had she did all she could. - Mark 14:8