Op-Ed: A new year, a renewed hobby: How surfing brings me calm during the pandemic
![Illustration of a blue surfboard standing against trees at the ocean's edge.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e40a270/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4800x3150+0+0/resize/1200x788!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F92%2Fae%2F1b0a39074669bb7c666273211298%2Fheader-dupille.jpg)
(Natalie Dupille / For The Times)
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![Illustration of a woman strapping a blue surfboard atop a vehicle.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0336135/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2002x2310+0+0/resize/1200x1385!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff2%2F13%2Fb0a141594d329a17d07dcfac19ef%2Fla-oe-dupille-new-year-1.jpg)
![Illustration of a woman struggling with her wetsuit.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6a40a17/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2002x2310+0+0/resize/1200x1385!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6c%2F28%2F79883e7f43978f00d0813273e619%2Fla-oe-dupille-new-year-2.jpg)
![Illustration of a woman peering at the roiling ocean.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9f949ed/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2002x2310+0+0/resize/1200x1385!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffe%2F2e%2Fcf158b06423096a54f23cadff462%2Fla-oe-dupille-new-year-3.jpg)
![Illustration of a woman carrying a surfboard and watching a good surfer.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7607fb2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2002x2310+0+0/resize/1200x1385!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc1%2F80%2F663e0c2e4f019fd869a5c623d949%2Fla-oe-dupille-new-year-4.jpg)
![Illustration of a woman on a surfboard, paddling into a wave.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8750d7c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2002x2310+0+0/resize/1200x1385!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F28%2F26%2F47aed0eb4df2adb08e5cac707baa%2Fla-oe-dupille-new-year-5.jpg)
![Illustration of newspapers with headlines about COVID-19.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a61671e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2002x2310+0+0/resize/1200x1385!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4c%2F39%2Fe2366a5b446d97986bfa1154c392%2Fla-oe-dupille-new-year-6.jpg)
![Illustration of a woman sitting on a surfboard in the ocean.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6a7a462/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2002x2310+0+0/resize/1200x1385!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa9%2F96%2F31b97cc747378719f7698502d942%2Fla-oe-dupille-new-year-7.jpg)
![Illustration of a woman paddling on her surfboard while two people are surfing.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/02eea10/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2002x2310+0+0/resize/1200x1385!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F59%2Fad%2Ff76b862847dfb2c32909ab5b4b78%2Fla-oe-dupille-new-year-8.jpg)
![Illustration of a woman standing on her surfboard and surfing.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/56a20f7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2002x2374+0+0/resize/1200x1423!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc0%2Ff1%2Fa69e27e7499eb6bab5fd4a51757b%2Fla-oe-dupille-new-year-9.jpg)
Natalie Dupille is a cartoonist and writer in Seattle.
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