So we took G to the coast for the first time.
We packed up all we needed from the condo to go to the beach itself, and headed on down en masse.
Once we got over the boardwalk over the dunes, Grace went racing ahead of us. Way ahead of us.
Once I realized what was happening, I dropped (carefully) what I was carrying, and ran to catch up with her.
Before I caught up, a wave took her and knocked her down. Right behind it, another wave rolled her over and over. Right then, I caught up with her. She was scared, and getting ready to cry — not cry, wail. No, not wail, squall.
But I had an instant in which to recover the entire day, and the entire trip, and all coastal trips thereafter. What did I come up with? Inspiration struck:
Ocean! You’re getting a time-out!
At that instant, the undertow from both waves pulled back, going out to sea.
I was rewarded many times, first with giggles, then ongoing with her sticking nearby and behaving the rest of the day, and by her ongoing love of swimming and the ocean.
Some of my best memories with Grace are at the coast, and this is merely the first of many!
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