Fun at the beach

My current trek to HHI with My Beloved has been a restful time, generally unplugged from the world of electronic noise. A quick walk down the beach this morning hand in hand in the rising sun with the waves lapping against the shore was just what the doctor ordered.

My favorite other moments have been watching the children gallop around the beach. Being away from my boy I can only imagine what he would be doing as he discovered the ocean for the first time. (He is days away from nineteen months of age). I imagine him running in and out of the water then stopping as his feet get wet, screaming and hollering and laughing. He does that a lot. I watched today as a young boy about three or so ran after his brothers with a bucket in his hands down to the waves. They all stopped and threw their pales down and started digging in the sand. It was pure discovery. There was a time when all young boys discovered their world this way. Now, everything seems to be behind the screen of a game or a computer. I understand how facts can be gained this way but pure discovery is from learning first hand.

Later in the day another boy chased two butterflies around the beach trying to shoot them with his squirt-gun. They flittered and fluttered about as he ran behind them. Another five year old dug himself a hole in the sand and putted a golf ball with an iron. Each time success was had he reached into the hole and pulled out the ball raising his hand just like the pros do on Sunday.

Too often children vegetate in front of a screen, be it computer, game or television. I was fascinated to watch as I realized children can still play without being plugged into the electric world.

There's nothing like learning with sand in your hair.