Getting Back on the Boogie Board

My family and I have been going to Hilton Head Island for years. We always enjoy the beach, and when my boys were little I introduced them to the joys of riding waves. Hilton Head waves aren't great - they're kind of flat. So if you're my size, you have to go out in the water pretty far to get to proper chest-high wave riding.

However, one year when the boys were small, the waves were awesome. There had been a storm off the coast and the winds were making crazy waves, so of course we hit the water. My youngest, Jonathan, was just a little guy so he rode on top of a boogie board while I held onto the rope that was attached to it.

There are those times as a parent when a situation that is meant to be fun becomes a little more serious than you expected. Not only were these waves big, they were strong. And they were a bit unpredictable. I was trying to steer Jonathan's board straight into them, but one of them caught me and him off guard. The wave hit him chest-high and he went straight backwards off the board and into the water, completely submerged.

It's amazing the rapidity with which thoughts run through your head when something unexpected happens. I couldn't see him in the somewhat murky water. Was he able to hold his breath? What if he had hit his head on the bottom? How strong was the undercurrent? It was about 10 seconds of concern until I found his arm and pulled him out of the water. I expected him to be scared, but he was laughing. He LOVED it and couldn't wait to get back on the boogie board and go again.

I've been thinking of this story over the last six weeks as I've struggled with one wave after another that has kept me from writing anything on this blog. There have been work things that took time and energy, trips out of town, piano jobs that required a lot of time practicing. Suddenly, it's six weeks later and I haven't written anything.

But I'm happy to say that I'm back on the boogie board. Both writing these and thinking about what to write are fun for me. And when I get a little overwhelmed and the waves knock me off for a bit, I'll surface, laugh about it, and get right back into it.

Thanks for you patience, thanks for reading, and I'll be back soon!

Mike