When you squeeze all the goody into a short visit, it makes you savor the moments better. Just like a kid who grows up poor...when he gets an ice cream cone, he considers it akin to heaven. And that got me to thinking about kids. My childhood was sweeter, because it included hard work, lazy summers, little money and lots of love. I think that if you throw a child too many privileges, the goodies quit tasting so good. They're common, taken for granted. For way too long, folks have been pumping up their kids' egos, just because. It's a shallow way. I'm not talking about unconditional love, I'm talking about cheap love. Love can walk through fire without blinking, and that usually means sacrifice.
Back to St. Simons...we threw off our shoes and walked all over town. Some of the shops and restaurants had just opened back up, albeit in a limited way. But the most precious part of it was the people. Everywhere we went, there was a palpable jubilation in the air. It was like we were all breathing a collective sigh of joy. Breathing the salt air and staring at the periwinkle blue sky never meant so much. There were bikes and dogs and little kids everywhere. And old folks who furtively smiled and avoided physical contact. We were all out in it, brave in our happiness, like Lazarus seeing the light.
We've been back for over a day. I hit the floor running as soon as we got back, with family visiting and then showing homes all day today. I still have this gentle buzzing, way back in my brain. It's the ocean, the people, the ambiance of the weekend, still calling, still buoying me past the treacherous reef. Breathing deep...
No comments:
Post a Comment