Why Wilma Johnson is making waves

This month, the Psychologies Book Club is captivated by Wilma Johnson's Surf Mama

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Why Wilma Johnson is making waves

Artist Wilma Johnson, 42, was living in a fishing village in County Kerry, playing earth mother to her three children and surf widow to her husband, when she had an epiphany.

โ€˜People talk about a mid-life crisis as a negative thing but for me itโ€™s all about taking stock of where you are and realising there are more things you want to do. I wanted to prove I wasnโ€™t too old to take on the world and, for me, that meant surfing.โ€™ With husband and three children in tow, she made the leap from Ireland to glamorous Biarritz, before splitting up with her husband and learning how to surf.

We loved Surf Mama: One Woman’s Search For Love, Happiness And The Perfect Wave (Summersdale, ยฃ8.99). Itโ€™s a tale of finding your feet โ€“ or, rather, a wave โ€“ after a divorce, deciding youโ€™re never too old to learn a new skill, and inventing a brand new life for yourself by doing something ridiculously out of character.

Watch this clip, in which she talks about how a mid-life crisis can lead us to make big leaps in our lives:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDKFLkOZpd0
embed youtube

We also loved the โ€˜find your tribeโ€™ element as Johnson gathers fellow surf mamas around her, and together they pledge to โ€˜get out of the kitchen and into the surfโ€™. Itโ€™s the perfect inspirational read if youโ€™re pondering whether this is really all there is. โ€˜I just wanted women to know that once you hit 40, you donโ€™t have to lead a safe, predictable life,’ says Johnson. ‘Stepping out of your comfort zone might be scary, but taking the plunge is well worth the risk.โ€™

Johnson is one of us. You are rooting for her from the start and we defy anyone to read this book and not want to grab a surf board (or a body board, at least) and hit the waves. Letโ€™s go surfinโ€™!

For more information, find Wilma Johnson on Facebook

Next month’s read is: Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice On life And Love By Someone Whoโ€™s Been There by Cheryl Strayed (Atlantic, ยฃ8.99)