Ride, dive, or collide

Cape Town, South Africa

I was thinking about a day we spent on the beach in Kerala, India, a day with pure ease. We packed bags with water, our Kindles, sunscreen, and 4 towels, rented two umbrellas for 400 rupees and relaxed. Four of us in a row, going in and out, over the black-and-tan beach to the perfect waves of the Indian Ocean. Well, near perfect. A few times we tumbled hard, got sand caked in our hairlines, banged up our shoulders or face or back, the ocean reminding us she is still indeed the might ocean. But mostly it was like a soothing wave pool, gently lifting you up and placing you back down on your feet.

The ocean is always moving, throwing something new at you, so you must remain alert. Monitoring the waves with diligence leaves little energy for quarreling. Leo and Ari didn’t argue once. Tremendous! Lying together on the sand, with the wind blowing, the waves crashing, and each of us reading our books together was one of the best family moments I’ve had on this trip so far. Being quiet together, in the fresh, warm air, very few people around, gentle, delightful exercise with a hint of adventure.

The boys gained confidence in how to ocean swim. After a losing bout with the waves one day, Ari angrily said he was done for good, but got back at it again. We decided when a big wave comes, you have three choices: ride, dive, or collide. You can jump up and let the wave take you up and toward shore (ride), you can go head first directly into the wave, exiting the back into deeper water (dive), or you can let it crash over you (collide).