unforgettable

Beaches

Yesterday was a momentous day.  We took our daughter to LAX for a humanitarian experience in Fiji. She was to meet up with her team at the airport for their direct flight to the island. The three of us chose to make a week of it.

We enjoyed sunny Southern California and relished the beach. Hers was a late flight, so we decided to ride bikes along the boardwalk, which included Redondo beach, Hermosa beach, Manhattan beach, Elsegundo beach, and Marina del ray. We rode our bicycles up-and-down the boardwalk. 

It was delightful. Young and old were using the beachside passageway, some riding bikes, gliding on skates, or just leisurely strolling along. Others were practicing surfing, volleyball, and many other activities. A few were taking lessons: boating, volleyball, hang gliding, yoga, and surfing, among others. A couple men were receiving private lessons on how to mount a surfboard. The instructor showed them the right procedure and demonstrated their launching the board, remaining balanced and skillfully rising to their feet  it was just done on the sand in preparation for when they would really be about the more difficult waves someday soon. The lesson was repeated over-and-over until the men felt comfortable and skilled enough to do it on the water. Meanwhile, large waves crashed against the beach and massive airplanes soared 
overhead as they left the LAX runway and quickly climbed altitude. This scenario was repeated time and again. 

I thought as I witnessed these events that sometimes we feel just like this scenario that played out on the sunny southern California beaches. We are learning in a small way how to balance and stand and move forward while all around us there are successful examples and seemingly more capable individuals with skills that we feel we may never achieve. And in the moment of frustration, embarrassment, and cynicism, we lose hope and feel our contribution is not enough. And perhaps alone, we are not enough, but we are not alone.