Being back in Myrtle Beach this weekend, we wanted to take advantage of the chance to take Miles to the actual beach itself. He was a bit young when he made his first visit to the sandy shores of Myrtle, and he was certainly a more intrigued by the experience this time.
While he enthusiastically darted for the water, he soon learned that the majestic ocean takes as much as it gives. As the water rushed around his toes, he reached down to try to grab or, perhaps, slow the tide. He quickly lost his balance, fell over, and began whining. While largely wordless, the message of his cries was clear: “WHAT IS HAPPENING???”
After the water’s harsh betrayal, Miles turned to the sand, where he took great joy in seizing the grains in his hands and watching as they fell back to the earth like so many fading memories.
As we started to leave, Miles kept running back to the sand, grabbing more in his hands and hurling it through the air. We practically had to drag him away, and he nodded emphatically when asked if he liked the beach. The ocean, on the other hand…well, we’ll work on it.
The Perils (& Pride) of Paternity 