Beyond the Great Wave?

These two pictures pretty much sum up my feelings on the approach of 2018, but I don't know whether on a personal, or collective level, or both,

Which is why I bought a 2018 calendar to hang on my kitchen wall next year of similar prints from another Japanese artist who I wrote about in my post -
SYNCHRONICITY #110 – BETWEEN TWO WORLDS WITH DR. MICHAEL DAINE

Maybe I should start paddling now?-)

Or maybe I just feel wiped-out heading into 2018 and need a nice little holiday at the beach?
Who knows, but I'll/we'll soon find out I guess?-)

Surfs up and it's time to synch or swim I feel.

And on the subject of surfing and beyond the great wave I just saw this tragic story of an ex-soccer player struck and killed by lightning while learning to surf.
Ex-Belgium right-back Denis Dasoul dies after being struck by lightning while surfing
"Denis Dasoul had retired in 2011 and moved to Melbourne in Australia with his girlfriend Pellaers Allison.
According to the Mirror, the former Belgium youth captain was on holiday with Allison last week to learn how to surf, but was tragically struck by lightning while out in the water at the Batu Bolong beach in Canggu with his instructor.

Dasoul and the instructor were rushed to hospital within half an hour, but police spokesman Johannes H Widya confirmed they "died on the spot".
"They were finishing their session and sitting up on their boards. Both men fell off their boards and sank into the water," an eyewitness said."

Photographed at Bundall, on the Gold Coast

I wrote in my last post how I nearly drowned in a rip in my youth -
Sometimes Life Feels Like Nothing But a Sinking S#it Pit
And that above shot of the lightning hitting the water was the stretch of coastline I nearly drowned in, so seeing and hearing about surfers getting hit by lightning is just one more reason that someone like me should stay out of the water.

I also notice Denis was struck right after I had written about Chris Hemsworth doing a hike on a mountain where an American tourist was hit and killed by lightning -

Go Take Another Hike Hemsworth!-)

And reading stories like the one below reinforce my resolve not to go back into a hungry ocean full of sharks, rips ... and now lightning strikes, as well.
A picture you can't un-see

But there are a few reasons to tempt fate I guess, like this story below.

Photographer wins international recognition for amazing Migaloo shot off Australian coast
But then knowing my kind of luck I'd probably end up getting swallowed by a whale ... and a white one at that;-)

UPDATE: 13th November, 2017

Just saw this lightning story from the other side of Oz on the ABC news site -

Perth lightning: Series of thunderstorms create massive display over city