3:58pm, pacific standard time, Strands Beach, Dana Point, California, USA, Sunday afternoon, October 23, 2022. Ended up going out with a friend last night which put me behind packing for the week. I didn’t leave Chandler until 9am. That meant hitting terrible traffic outside Palm Springs. When I pulled in to Dana Point at 3:30pm my daughter and her friend were already dressed for the beach. Now they are playing in the waves while I rest in the sand.
8:14am, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA, Friday morning, April 22, 2022, day 8 of vacation (Earth Day) Life is like surfing; waking up alone on a cold, gray morning, leaving valuables behind, and running barefoot across endless shifting ground to the waters edge. Though rocks are sharp and the water is cold, the roiling expanse is met with confidence. After all, why would there be reason to doubt? Nothing has pierced our belief that all ends up working out for the best. Yet, inevitably, disappointment arrives; waves don’t break like they should, other surfers knock us down and the wind howls mercilessly in our ears. At that point, it is natural to feel tested and beaten. Yet, at the lowest moment, with only a little time left, it only takes one amazing wave to change everything. Life, like surfing, is beautiful; not because every moment is perfect but, rather, because so few truly are.
12:56pm Sunday afternoon, Palm Desert. The marine layer chilled the air coming off the ocean. A took my jacket from the trunk and put it off then began walking. By the time we crested the hill I was hot, so I took the jacket off and carried it in my hand. My mind thought about past Sunday’s, and what I would rather be doing other than walking at that moment. I concluded there was nothing I would rather be doing, and there was no place I would rather be.
3:29pm By the time I got to Palm Desert I realized I couldn’t see my friend and make it to Dana Point in time. I texted her to say I got a late start. She replied, “Hi there. Bummer. See u next time.” When I got to the apartment I found a parking spot on the street. The sun was warm. A cool breeze blew off the ocean. I unpacked and changed then took the dog for a walk down the path that circled the complex. An overweight man nodded as we walked by. Kids on electric scooters raced down the path ahead of us. I felt content in the last remnants of the warm afternoon.
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