My family fell back in love with the beach this summer. The first time we went out, it took a bit of time to acclimate. The sand is hot. It gets everywhere. And I mean, everywhere. Keeping the sand out of our toddler’s mouth was a challenge.
In an effort to encourage my son to get out into the water and boogie board, I jumped in myself. The pacific ocean is strikingly cold. I waded out into the water and thought, this used to be fun. I was hesitant and didn’t want to get my hair and face wet. But, of course, I kept misjudging the waves and they would crash right on me, splashing salty water in my eyes and carrying me back towards shore. Maybe my son is right to hang back, I thought. But, I pressed on.
The next time I went out about 45 minutes later, I was a little better at judging the waves. I got out further and deeper into the water. My body adjusted and didn’t feel as cold. It actually felt nice. I felt the sun shining above me. A bigger wave came crashing over me and when it splashed my hair and face, I laughed. I ran to shore to get the boogie board. I caught a little wave into the shore, and my sons happily clapped. My oldest felt braver and tried himself. I couldn’t get him out of the ocean after that. Meanwhile, my other two were blissfully playing in the sand, building towers, digging holes and making seaweed soup in buckets.
The waves never changed. They kept coming and coming, relentlessly. When we were hesitant or resisted them, we felt cold and got splashed or knocked down. When we let go and relaxed into waves, everything changed. The water felt warmer. We moved with the rhythm of the ocean and began to enjoy ourselves immensely. Instead of thinking, this isn’t as fun as I remember, I thought…I’m playing with my kids in the massive Pacific Ocean on the edge of a continent. How amazing.
Life keeps coming. Day in and day out. Are you going to resist it? Wish that it would stop and give you a break? Worry what the next wave will bring? Conversely, are you going to embrace and adapt to what comes your way? Will you change your behavior and mindset so that instead of trying not to get splashed, you ride the waves all the way to shore and then do it all over again? Playfull Humans pick option 2. Be a Playfull Human. Your life will never be the same.