A Day at the Beach

Today was one of those beautiful days, the kind where the sun awakens and the morning air is warm, full of the promise of clear skies and sunshine. As the dawn broke and the day began, I could feel the pull of the beach in my soul, as though the ocean waves were a siren's song. Winter has put up its temporary white flag and the rush of excitement floods our hearts as we realize that summer has come again.
In response to the urge to splash in the sea and walk barefoot in the sand, I planned the perfect beach day.

When I was single and sans kids, I didn't need much. I owned a tote bag the size of a coffee table book and would bring a novel, a towel, a bottle of water and sunscreen. When I was about 16 years old, I used to have to help carry the toys and beach gear when we went to the beach as a family, since my siblings were years younger than me. I used to vow then that I would never need to bring all that stuff and my mother used to say, "Wait until you have kids..."

Then I had them. I pulled the wagon with the all-terrain wheels out of our loaded-down station wagon and began to strategically pack it with two bags of toys, towels, a pack & play, beach chairs, a cooler full of food and an umbrella. In that moment, I finally understood what my mother meant. Going to the beach with kids is a huge production, no matter how much stuff you try to leave behind.

For a solid three hours, we built sandcastles, chased seagulls, jumped through the waves and gathered seashells. Regardless of the planning and packing and 'setting up of camp', it was worth it.

When I wrote these words, I was sitting in the parking lot of our apartment and scrounging for every scrap of paper I could find. Both kids had fallen asleep on the ride home and I was fearful of two things: of moving them and therefore, waking them up and of losing these sentimental words that were quickly coming to me without my laptop nearby. As I copy them from losing lottery tickets & old receipts, I have to smile at the magical quality that this day seemed to possess. There was something relaxing in kicking up a little bit of salt water, something comforting in the cool, damp sand underfoot, something inspiring in such a simple day. Connor was happiest in his confined space, content to watch the people nearby and the birds soaring overhead. Sean ran like the wind through the waves as they met his feet at the shore and collected humble treasures dropped in the sand from the sea.

Today was the perfect beach day.