Vacation, and the ocean gives a gift of trust and memory
the owners of the house we’re borrowing called us last night to warn us… offshore storm… watch the undertow. We went to the beach this morning, ocean side, not Bay, and were not surprised to see the waves, heavy with sand, pounding the shore. The mother in me quailed. The memory of me, as a child of my son’s age, fearlessly getting pummeled into the shell bed by waves just like these… put a life jacket on the kid and let him swim in the frigid water.
My heart was leaping out of my mouth most of the time, to watch him get trounced and pop up, sputtering and choking and laughing. How did my parents stand it? How did they ever let me do the same thing?? When I wasn’t much older than my son is today, my parents used to let me surf the waves, seal-slim and water-ready, with nothing but cupped hands riding just above the pull of a curl. It was my first taste of wild freedom, body surfing. More than once a wave tumbled me so badly I had no idea which end was up, and waited at the end of my breath for a glimpse of sky. I remembered the terror and the thrill of the ocean pulling me under and over. My son can’t swim as well as I could, at five, but he wore a life jacket and raced into the waves with utter abandon. I trusted him to not panic, and I trusted my vigilance–and the fact that we were right in front of the lifeguard chair–to keep him safe.
Such a blast. So tired. We’re off to dinner out and then walking a calmer beach in search of shells and stones to bring home with us.
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POSTED IN: family fun
3 opinions for Vacation, and the ocean gives a gift of trust and memory
ratphooey
Jul 22, 2008 at 9:42 pm
So grownup!
nagylany
Jul 23, 2008 at 1:27 am
What a precious photo. It really captures the thrill of the day.
Kelly
Jul 23, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Wow, he’s getting so big!
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