I almost go through withdrawals when ever I am away from my workspace for very long. I know that sometimes my abilities are best put to other endeavors and uses, like with invitations, cards, personal visits and such. But there are times when having the freedom to be unrestricted to the day's goal is also nice. School is out…for the summer, of course. The boys are both working, albeit different times, so I have some sort of occasional quiet, but nothing that I can count on. Gone are the girl's weekends, when all the "boys" would be gone, off on Scouting adventures and camp-outs. Having a job eliminates that. Thank goodness they can fend for themselves, but I still seem to be required for some basic household order, as much of it as I can demand. I know that someday I will be a mere afterthought, with a once in a while triggered reminder to "check in on old mom" to see how she's doing. But for now, at least for some of my children, I'm a necessary figure at their house. It's all good.
So with me, one thought always leads to another, and another, and another…right before I am distracted by yet another shiny, random thought. My Mom and daughter, Christie, came down from Utah to join in the festivities of this past weekend. There was graduation and an Eagle Court of Honor for the official activities, but then we had to take my Mom to one of our favorite haunts…the 99cents only store – we went there more than once! I know – with all San Diego has to offer, we spend time at the 99cents only store! We went out to dinners and lunches, because with so many people and so much going on, we didn't have time to do too much cooking! But on Monday we spent some time at a place that Utah doesn't have, at least not like we have…the beach.
La Jolla Shores is our usual hang-out, but when we discovered that they had shells at low tide at Torrey Pines, we started making an effort to go there. It was early evening before we headed out. We had all gotten sunburned at the graduation, so we didn't want to push our luck and get fried by going too early in the day. We waited for Megan to get off work. It was getting a little chilly by the time we went…Mom, Christie, Megan, Lizzie and I. Three generations. I love the ocean, but for me, trips to the shore are routine. Our purpose at the water was to walk along the beach and get our feet wet. We hadn't come prepared for swimming.
The tide was coming in, so there wasn't much room for strolling on the beach. I had my camera, so I was holding back a little from getting right into the waves, fearful of getting my camera splashed with the salt water. My mom got a little ahead of me and I watched her walk toward the waves. She paused and just stood there – not trying to maneuver through the waves, avoiding getting wet, but without regards to her precarious position.
As I watched, I began to get emotional. It wasn't really a sad moment – maybe more pensive. I could tell that my Mom was resisting the temptation to jump right into the waves. I could sense it. Part of me wanted her to do it, then the reasonable side reminded me that she isn't in the best of health and getting into the water without a way to dry off probably wouldn't be wise. But I stood back and let her have that moment alone – her reunion with the ocean. And while I didn't know her as a little girl, I could imagine her running into the waves with great abandon, without fear or hesitation, and being happy.
It was a nice time there at the beach. We didn't make sandcastles like we do when Jake comes. We didn't bring reading materials or a picnic or a blanket or towels. But we left after a visit with an old friend, just a little happier, with thoughts of days long past just a little fresher in our memories.
