YONDER BREAKS

We were at the beach the other day and the kids were playing in the sand. It was a beautiful day -- the kind California is famous for -- clear blue sky, cool sea breeze, the ocean clean and crisp. I kept an eye on the girls as I watched surfers try and catch the tiny 2-3-foot waves, vying for corners that crumbled before peeling into a crash. Eventually, Waverly walked up to me and asked, "Dad, how do I dig a hole?" I'm not sure why she asked (she knows how to dig a hole), but without thinking, I replied, "Pick one spot and start digging. Stay in one spot though." Suddenly, it hit me that my emphasis on digging in only one spot was more profound than I intended. This ledge provided hours of entertainment. My thought process was this: If my child is working on something, I want her to focus on it and do well; and the way to do that was to pick one thing and give it her all. Starting a dozen holes wouldn't be as good as one or two really good, deep ...

We are blessed to live by the beach. Actually, I've been blessed my whole life to have lived within 20 miles of it on both coasts, the closest having been 1.5 miles in Westchester neighborhood in Los Angeles...those were the days. But with all this closeness, you'd think I'd be there about every weekend. Not so. Actually, I average a beach trip about every month. So I have to ask myself why?  And if I'm being honest, I think the answer is: kids . Yes, it's difficult to take kids to the beach. And even if I don't plan to take them to the beach, during a big surf swell for instance, I can't just leave them at home (yet...). So my terrible solution has been to only venture to the shore on rare occurrences when I'm feeling both brave and patient enough to endure the hardships of beach-going; or when the stars align and someone is home to watch so I can sneak out for a couple hours to surf. But today is different! Yes, I awoke with the beach on my mind, ...