Children at the beach only have to modes on the happiness dial. Mode 1=extreme exuberance and joy. Each wave is fun, each sandcastle bigger than the last, each sip of bubbly soda refreshing. Mode 2=extreme pissed offness. Suddenly the child falls in the water, gets sand in the eyes and mouth, feels the first twinge of pain from the sunburn and all goodness dries up and wailing begins. This is the truth. I've watched lots of kids this week have more fun than you could ever imagine and then, wham! the fun ends with a small speck of sand lodged in the eyeball. It's actually kind of entertaining to watch as an outsider.
Growing older is a funny thing. While the ocean is still one of the most amazing sights I have ever glimpsed, I remember it being mind-boggling as a child. It was too much to take in with all the waves and sand and birds and shells. There have been times lately, as I've had to issue apologies and make life decisions, that I've longed for the simplicity of childhood. But, somehow, I've made it bumpily along this road of twenty-five years and I'll just keep going.
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