It was a very hot summer day at Laguna beach. I hate the beach. As the day had worn on I had found a place away from people on the shore line and started trying to construct a sand castle that could withstand the rising tide water. The back of my neck and ears already had that slightly stiff feeling that lets you know you've already begun to burn in the sun, but I was too focused in my project to go get sunscreen and there was only so much time to prepare before the tide came in. Having gone swimming all morning I was tired and the heat of the sun felt like a physical weight on my back while I toiled over my sand fortress. Gritty sand chaffed between my fingers and toes and I felt clumsy. I hate the beach. My project was doomed. I should go find shade and a drink of water....but it's very hard for me to change tack once already on a project, so I toiled on with something of a hopeless attitude. I hate the beach.
Suddenly, shade. The angry skin on my back and neck quited down. "Wow! Hey, those channels are a really good idea! Neat!" My anxieties and frustrations melted away as I sat in dad's shadow, sheltered from the blistering heat of reality by someone bigger than me. I sat and listened to him speak words of life into me. I love the beach.
It was a very hot day on the pitch. It felt like when you first open the oven door after after baking and the heat rushes into your face...except this was all of me. I was drowning in it, and my feet felt like they were soaking up the heat faster than the rest of me. Why are soccer cleats always black? And why do we play in August? This is ridiculous!
Suddenly, shade. One lonely, perfect cloud settled in front of the sun bringing a collective sigh of relief from players and fans. But for me there was more than a break from the Arizona sun. My mind and heart were suddenly again in the shadow of a benevolent protector and words of life flowed into my mind. I still love clouds and soccer because I found shade at the beach.
The greatest, the deepest, the most soul changing experiences we have need not be lost. Be aware of experiences that matter. Rethink them, relive them, take possession of the setting, and you will be blessed with that memory every time your mind is able to form a likeness to it in your present.
