Earlier this month, our family spent a couple of days at Oak Island around the Independence Day holiday. On the Fourth of July, we spent most of the day out on the sand, so naturally we had to pack accordingly. Several years ago, I bought one of those beach carts so I could lug all the chairs, food, toys, umbrella, etc., everything we need, all at once. Earlier this summer, I splurged and bought one of those Shibumi shades you may have seen dotting the sands of many beaches. They are those brightly colored shades that flap in the wind. Despite their simplicity, they provide impressive amounts of shade.
Similar to us, different families or groups were scattered around, most with elaborate setups. There was one family who had multiple Shibumi shades, several with elaborate chairs, one with a mobile bar, and all with a host of other accoutrements to make the hot day enjoyable. Later in the day, as more and more people showed up and filled in, my wife and I noticed another family that was there. If you did a casual scan of the beach, this particular group would be easily missed.
You see, where the other groups were multiple generations with a large footprint on the beach, this family was simply a dad, a mom, and a son who was roughly the age of my own two kids (4 and 6). Where we and others were sitting in relatively nice beach-specific chairs with padded headrests or storage capabilities, these three were seated in two basic folding camping chairs. Then, as I sat under the glorious shade of that over-priced sheet and rod, occasionally bemoaning the fact that I had to get up and relocate it so it would catch the wind properly, this family each took turns holding a personal-sized collapsible umbrella, the kind that would fit in your car door. They would pass it around from time to time, each sharing in the burden of providing their family with some respite from the sun. I so loved watching that father and son enjoy the ocean, because based upon what I could see, this father likely worked the kind of job most of us wouldn’t take. Therefore, the Fourth of July was likely one of the few days off he’d have all year…