Everything I Learned This Week, I Learned from Watching My 7-Year Old at the Beach

This post was supposed to be about something else entirely. It was supposed to be about what I do when I find myself stuck or frustrated or just generally in a bad mental place. I had it mostly planned in my head, and it was going to be called, “When All Else Fails.” I was supposed to write it on the airplane on my way to Florida with my family for a week-long vacation.


That didn’t happen.


So here I am now, in my hotel room in Cocoa Beach. It’s hot and sunny and absolutely gorgeous outside, but I’m in my room. I’ve spent so much time playing in the waves that I can feel their ebb and flow even as I sit here at my little desk. When I close my eyes, I see their flat green faces drawing near, their foamy crests bearing down on me.


Yep. Time to get out of the water.


My kid, on the other hand, won’t leave the ocean until we drag her, sunburned and pruny, from the Florida surf. I’ve been watching her in the waves now for three days, and I’ve realized there’s a lot be learned from a seven-year old on the beach.


Lesson #1: Ride Every Wave


The waves on this particular beach are a bit small for surfing, but they’re perfect for body-boarding. We bought a couple of cheap boards, and my kiddo has declared herself a body-boarding expert. She also claims to have set a world record for most waves ridden. While I’m sure both of those points could be hotly contested, the one thing that can’t be disputed is that she’s having more fun than anyone else out there, and to a large extent it’s simply because she rides everything she sees. Whether it’s a swell, or a cresting wave, or nothing but foam, her enthusiasm is the same. She dives into each one with the same reckless abandon. While older kids (some well into their 30s) sit further out in the surf, getting frustrated and sunburned as they await the perfect wave, my kid finds pleasure in every second she spends in the water.

Lesson #2: Take Joy in the Work


Of course riding the waves (or the foam or the swells) is fun, but then you have to turn around and paddle your way back into the sea. While to me it looks like work, my kiddo thinks this is the best part of all. “Watch me!” she tells me. “I’ll fly up in the air and slam back down!” And that’s exactly what happens, as she paddles herself up the face of a cresting wave and bursts over its top. Frankly, it looks painful to me, but she laughs every time. Half the time the waves flip her over backward and wash her under. It gives me a mild heart attack every time I see it (she’s less than four feet tall and barely weights forty pounds!), but every time it happens, she pops back up, laughing and grinning ear to ear. There is no such thing as work, or exercise, or being too tired. There’s only more fun to be had.


Lesson #3: Have No Fear


While in reality I think a respectful fear of the ocean is wise, if we’re talking life-lesson analogies here, then follow the example set by my daughter, and have no fear. Plunge ahead into the waves. Paddle hard. Keep on kicking. Don’t worry about what anybody else thinks. Don’t listen to your uptight mother yelling for you to not go out so far. Be brave and happy and adventurous.


Above all, have fun.


In conclusion:


I’m sure I should wrap this up all nice and pretty for you, but I don’t think I will. The Florida sun, the beach and my tireless child beckon. After all, I’m on vacation. I’m sure you can figure it out. ;-)

Levi Binder is a Miami bartender who cares about only two things: sex and surfing.  Ostracized by his Mormon family for his homosexuality, Levi is determined to live his life his own way, but everything changes when he meets massage therapist Jaime Marshall.

Jaime is used to being alone.  Haunted by the horrors of his past, his only friend is his faithful dog, Dolly.  He has no idea how to handle somebody as gorgeous and vibrant as Levi.

Complete opposites on the surface, Levi and Jaime both long for something they can only find together.  Through love and the therapeutic power of touch, they’ll find a way to heal each other, and they’ll learn to live as sinners in a family of saints.

Buy it here: http://tiny.cc/wztlp

About Marie

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

My website/blog: http://www.mariesexton.net/
Book list: http://mariesexton.net/book-list
And be sure to join me for Coffee and Porn in the Morning: http://cupoporn.wordpress.com/