When I bought my home in Baja nearly nine years ago, I adopted a growth mindset when it came to surfing as I asked the question, “Ten years from now, what will I regret if I don’t learn it or do it now?” This is how in my mid-50s I started to learn to surf and speak Spanish. Even after my cancer diagnosis and my first surgery, I was in the water in late 2021, two days after my catheter was taken out, surfing with my co-founders Jeff and Christine as we were about to teach our first MEA workshop in the wake of the pandemic.
Being open to being bad at something – and, trust me, I’m not good at surfing and only do it once a year now – gave me the license to laugh at myself. On occasion, I would also go for a rudimentary ride on the beach holding for dear life to my horse. Again, I would laugh at myself as I started to learn that laughing facilitated learning.
Then, a week ago, my sons, Eli (13) and Ethan (10) came to visit me for the weekend (with their moms Laura and Susan) at MEA’s Rising Circle Ranch in Santa Fe and I took the boys riding. Mind you, this was my first horseback ride with Jo and Chuck (our able, amiable ranch hands) on the ranch which feels sort of embarrassing given how much time I’m spending here. It always seemed like there was something more important that I needed to attend to. But, what a joy to be out on the land to experience the four square miles of the ranch with the dancing clouds above us. I think MEA is ready to offer Cowboy Camp!
After dismounting my horse, I was struck with the thought that whether it’s riding waves or horses, MEA is dedicated to helping you get comfortable doing things that make you uncomfortable. Christine calls this Type-2 fun, activities that you may be cautious attempting and that might not be fun or easy at first while you’re doing them, but are fun to remember or reflect on afterward. Type-2 fun pushes your limits so you can overcome your mental, emotional and physical challenges. MEA is full of these kinds of options: communal baking bread, improv, karaoke, balancing rocks, speaking candidly in Circle, juggling, hiking to the top of a stony ridge, taking a cold plunge in the pond after heating up in the steam room. Being open and curious to trying new things is positively correlated to living a longer, healthier life.
My final reflections from my first ride on the ranch are the following. The sky’s the ocean in Santa Fe. It’s constantly evolving and I can stare at it for hours. Riding a wave or a horse is about surrendering – attuning, not attaining – which is so unusual and valuable for a striver like me. Ironically, our two MEA campuses are next to Cerritos (Baja) and Cerrillos (Santa Fe), with the former being our surf spot and the latter being a cool, artistic village on the nearby Turquoise Trail. While surfing requires a very steep learning curve to get into flow, the same isn’t true with horseback riding as I felt pretty competent pretty quickly and I look forward to regularly riding around the ranch in the future. Just remember, don’t squat with your spurs on! See you soon…
-Chip
P.S. The four SF Bay Area MEA Alumni chapters are hosting a screening of the documentary, Join or Die, updating the research by Robert Putnam, author of the groundbreaking book Bowling Alone. The film not only shows a precipitous decline in Americans “joining” clubs, but also a marked health benefit for those who do. Sure, you could stream it on your own, but instead come join the MEA community this Friday, March 28, register at this link. The $25 fee covers the price of the film and refreshments. If price is an impediment, email [email protected]. Here’s a blog post from JD Schramm on this topic.