The Burnout

by Sophie Kinsella

Maybe I can’t commune with nature, but I sure as hell can commune with carbs.

“You’re never failing, you’re learning. Learning how to manage the sea and how to manage yourself. Everything you did today, right or wrong, was experience. Experience! Can’t beat it. And you’ll learn from it, just you wait.

“Now,” adds Terry knowledgeably, “you want to know why you wiped out?” “Yes,” I say, desperate to hear his answer. “Tell me. Why did I wipe out?” “Because you tried,” says Terry simply. “You tried, my dear. And that puts you above most people.”

“The thing you must remember is to enjoy the ride.” He looks at me with a sharp blue gaze, and just for an instant I’m looking at the old Terry. “Enjoy every moment. Because if you don’t, what’s the point? The ride is it.”

Infinite waves. Infinite chances.”

You can’t dwell or think about what might have been. There’s always another wave. Although you have to be looking the right way to see it.

want to enjoy life again, I realize. Because life is the ride, and the ride is it. You have to enjoy it.