MONDAY MOANING 6

STUCK on the BEACH

It was Sunday afternoon. It caused a lot of Monday Moaning for a lot of people.

My family loves the Florida beach. This was one of our first visits. We were returning from morning church. My daughter and youngest son were with me in our gray van. I asked them if they would like for us to drive along the beach.

From our condo balcony, I had watched other cars driving along the wide, hard-packed sands. This would be fun and memorable.

I had visions of movie scenes where people enjoyed the wind, surf, and smells of the seaside as they drove along the beautiful beach. The ultimate scenic drive. Sand to the right. Ocean to the left. Dolphins jumping in the sea. Seagulls soaring overhead. Seabreeze blowing into your face.

I drove down the ramp access to the beach. I had not anticipated the unusually large crowd close to the beach entrance. This was a highly popular Sunday spot. Many more people than at church. They were packed closer together and acted happier.

That was not a deterrent since I was familiar with more desolate stretches just a short distance away. I had walked the beach several times, passing only a few dozen people scattered across the two-mile stretch.

As I turned onto the beach, I discovered (1) it was high tide, (2) the driving sand was soft, (3) there was only one driving lane shared by cars going both directions, and (4) the beachgoers were very close to the car path. They were so close one could high five the sunbathers while driving past them.

This was a mistake!

The high-tide ocean was at its closest distance from the dunes which made this time the smallest area of beach for the entire day. My biggest discovery was this was not a good time nor good conditions for a drive along the beach. In fact, it was absolutely the worst time, unless one were driving a four-wheel-drive jeep. I took it on in a large heavy van.

I was slugging through the soft sand until I found the one set of ruts which gave some traction to the few vehicles driving the beach. I was about 600 yards from the access road. I had not cleared the beach area filled with patrons’ chairs, towels, food, and drinks when a line of three jeeps closed in on my front bumper.

I am a nice guy who pulled over to allow the jeeps to pass. Big mistake to be nice at that point. Bigger mistake to move out of the ruts and into the soft sand dune. I came to a complete stop as my tires began to lose traction. That was the biggest mistake…at least up to this point of the story.

As I began to move back toward the ruts, my tires started spinning in the sand. The spinning tires only sank the vehicle deeper into the sand. The situation was deteriorating rapidly.

Biggest mistake plus one degree worse.

This was not going to work. I needed to get this van off the beach.

I watched as the sun-bathers popped up their heads to see the commotion. Someone would sit up, do a double take, and tap the person next to them. That dude would glance over at us, rise to his knees, and turn around yelling at the next person to gawk at the strange sight. Girls would pull down their sunglasses to look in disgust.

My kids informed me that everyone was staring and pointing at us. I acted surprised. Apparently, the Florida Welcome Center was closed this Sunday afternoon.

It was time to ‘exit stage right’ as quickly as possible. I turned the van toward the dunes so I could make a U-turn back into the ruts, headed to the safety of the paved road. There is a lesson in beginner physics taught to children. It is easier to gain momentum going downhill than up the slope. That is why skiers slalom down the mountainside, and rocks roll downhill. In fear of the water, I tried the latter.

This was a bigger mistake than the previously biggest mistake.

Now I was stuck. Really stuck. The tires were spinning. The wheels began to sink deeper into the soft terrain. It looked like a Sahara Desert haboob as the swirling winds and flying sand blocked out the horizon. (I just like the sound of that word–haboob. I never imagined I would share haboob in a public forum.).

It was raining sand.

The swirling sand had to land somewhere. Unbeknownst to me, it was spraying the beach crowd. Yep, I was throwing sand onto the people working on their tan lines and beers.

Can you imagine the scene? Can you imagine the outrage of the beach crowd? Can you imagine the fear of the gray van driver with the Louisiana car tag?

No, you cannot. It was much worse than you imagine. Try to envision it again. Still worse than that.

One would have thought Godzilla invaded the beach. The peaceful beach scene was now in terror mode.

Fists started knocking on my window and words my young kids did not need to hear filled the air. A mob had risen from their Sunday relaxation, shouting words of discouragement, and shaking sand out of their chairs, food, and swimsuits. Children building sandcastles were now crying in protest.

I do not recall anyone offering to help except for one guy who told me to throw away the keys and leave.

My kids were frightened. Kala was a young teenager without a driver’s license or any driving experience except bumper cars. Derek was a little kid ready to walk the beach to get away from the embarrassment.

I tried to stay calm. I had been a quarterback in front of a stadium packed crowd, a point guard shooting game-deciding pressure free throws, a future dad in the waiting room with a wife in emergency delivery.

People always say this is no time to panic. This was a time to panic. I just could not show it. I always taught our kids to stop, take a deep breath, and THINK.

No one in the history of mankind has ever calmed down because someone told them to calm down. My next plan proved that I was not as calm as I pretended. It probably proved that I was not thinking either.

I told Kala to get behind the steering wheel and drive, while I pushed the van towards the safety of the ruts. I planned to use my superhero strength to rock the sand-stuck van to freedom.

I crawled out of the van barefoot in my Sunday dress clothes. The sweltering sand was as burning hot as the sun. My first few steps had the familiar sound of sizzling fajitas. Apparently, my dancing feet were amusing to the scantily clad swimwear crowd.

A family philosopher once declared there was nothing as good for the soul as splashing ocean water on it. It’s pretty good for sand-burned feet as well.

The smell of the ocean breeze was prevalent. However, this beach paradise was far away from the peaceful rhythm of the sun-soaked waves on a secluded shoreline.

The sand glistened and the ocean waves roared as I barked instructions to my daughter. She looked so cute and so brave. I told her to hold on to the steering wheel and step on the gas pedal. Keep her eyes straight ahead.

I feared the van might begin to move too fast. I did not have to worry about that. It never budged an inch. No momentum. No movement at all, except for the sand and sweat running down the inside of my slacks.

Bigger than bigger than the biggest mistake.

I watched the sand fly into the angry crowd. Fortunately, it is very difficult to lynch someone on a beach. A few sand-covered beer cans buzzed by my head.

The van was too deep into the soft sand and too heavy to push. This was not going to work.

A couple of guys came to help, but quickly abandoned the rescue project. One told me to wait on a jeep to come by. There were some guys who had a tow chain.

I flagged them down. They offered to help…for twenty-five dollars. I was in no place to bargain.

They extricated my van from the seashore dilemma. They dragged me back into the ruts to the sarcastic applause of people with sand in their bathing suits.

Another lesson for the beach driver beginner. A large van might be able to slowly move through hardened sand. The momentum helps the traction. However, a stationary large van has an extremely difficult time gaining any acceleration without digging its own demise.

I was back in the driver’s seat. Kala was fighting tears while trying to encourage her troubled dad. I think Derek was halfway back to the condo.

We were stuck…again. I waited for the cool guys in the jeep to reappear. They came back by with another twenty-five dollars of beer in their cooler. Did I need another tow? Of course. Twenty-five more dollars!

This time, I bargained. Only if you tow my van all the way to the paved parking lot. My first good decision of the day. In the famous words of Scarlett O’Hara, “Let’s go home and I’ll think of some way to get back. After all, tomorrow is another day!”

I can only imagine the many Monday Moaning storytellers that next day talking about the idiot who ruined their weekend fun in the sun.

Good memories come in many packages. Thankfully, our family has a truckload of precious beach memories.

Here is a Monday Moaning thought. Your circumstances could always be worse. Get some perspective. Then get some eternal perspective.

Like my stuck on the beach moment, things felt pretty bad at the time. Lots of moments in life have felt that way.

If the beach stuff had been the worst thing that ever happened in my life, then I would have had a pretty good life.

Worse things have happened. I can honestly say, I have a lived a really good life. Fully blessed in every way.

God overcomes our big mistakes, our bigger mistakes, and our biggest mistakes.

“Count it all joy…Various trials will come and test your faith, but God uses them to produce growth in character and steadfastness” (James 1:2-4).

The word “character” comes from a Greek verb which describes cutting a groove or making a mark on something. Character is what marks your life. It defines who you are.

CHARACTER MATTERS!

You are not born with it. It is built into your life, much like the building of a house. The bricks are made up of faith, hope, and love. Trustworthiness, honesty, truthfulness, respect, responsibility become building blocks.

There are many life irritants worse than sand in your bathing suit. Most of us have something that rubs us the wrong way almost every day. We have daily interactions with irritating individuals, the sand in our shorts.

Remember that an oyster covers its shell-invader with layers of some altering substance until the irritating visitor becomes a beautiful, valuable pearl. Loving first and most covers the annoying people in your life. It might take some time, but it is far better than allowing their constant irritation to ruin your life.

God uses circumstances and other people to build character into your life. The building materials are pressed together by the various trials that you experience. Your mistakes only add more color.

Godly character loves first and loves most. Go for it! You might be sitting on the beach someday, enjoying the surf and sun, when some idiot drives onto the shoreline, sending sand into your face and swimwear.

Remember. It could be worse. You could be the driver.