Stop, Look, Breathe...

We get so caught up in our daily lives; we miss all the beauty around us.

One of my favorite stories goes like this…

A little boy and his dad walk out to the car and on the way the little boy sees an old, dirty, yogurt carton. He stops to start playing with it. The father who is in a hurry, pulls on his sons arm saying “Come on, come on, we have to go, we are going to be late!” the son gives his Dad and sad look as if he just lost his favorite toy. The boy and father get in the car and the Dad says to his son, “Son I don’t want you playing with trash okay?” The boy responses with “Dad, I wasn’t playing with trash, there was a caterpillar in there.” The dad says “Really, how did you see it in there?” The boy replies “There is always something beautiful everywhere you look, you just have to look.” The father smiles and rubs his son’s head and sighs.

My schedule at camp is go go go. We don’t have much time to stop and look around at the beauty around us. I live on the beach and I surf during the sunset 4 days out of 7. I am lucky, but if I do not stop and look at it from more than twenty seconds, it passes me and I don’t get to let it sink in. This happens all the time. I surf with dolphins almost every other day, again if I do not stop and look at how cool it is instead of worrying about the next wave I want to catch, I would be a lot happier.

Life is about seeing the little things in life, which is where you will find your happiness. Like the way the grass feels, the clouds that are full and white, the child’s laughter, the color of the sand, the birds in the sky that chase each other, the sound the fire makes when it crackles, the feeling you get after arriving where you are meant to be after a long journey, the ants that are carrying the heaviest little cracker. These are just some of the things we tend to pass up.

The boy in the story stopped and noticed the beauty in the trash. There is always beauty in a city, no matter how busy it is, it is there. There is an overwhelming amount of beauty in the edge of the ocean, and I have a chance to live there for 10 weeks. I made a group of 14-year-old girls go on a jetty walk and after they all said that they liked it even though they thought they wouldn’t. I made them stop and look, and that is okay, sometimes we need to have people do that for us.

Go somewhere, get out and take in some fresh air. See the beauty that is all around you, and stop worrying about all the negative and all that you have to do.

Stop. Look. Breathe. 

The Onshore Break...

I got the chance to hang out with a 15 year old boy that had autism. Not too sever but you could definitely tell just by looking at him. Most people don’t know how to treat people, let alone children with special needs.

David laughed, cried, got upset when he took a hard fall, he made others laugh, and David NEVER stopped trying. He understood everything you said and if he didn’t he would be sure to ask you what something means. He would always be sure to come to me after a nice ride and tell me all about it. He knew what was safe and what wasn’t.

As the teens get the chance to go to San Onofre for a 4 day camping trip, they have to hike a board up and down a very large and steep hill twice a day if they wanted to, David did it every time. David is strong. He swim 2 miles everyday and bowls a game over 100pts every game for the Special Olympics. On the first night there was a very strong shore break at San O that was pretty scary. It was a very rocky beach and dropped off pretty quick. So the first 10 feet at all rocks that are sharp and lose then it gets sandy but by that times its easier to just swim. David rode a wave all the way in but at San O you want to bail out so you don’t have to get crush by the reforming wave to break on the shore. David didn’t get told that so he is having a blast the next minute I look over and he is getting crushed by the onshore breaks, and by the time you stand up wipe your eyes off you get hit by another. David was stuck. Hunter (our lifeguard) went out and pulled David all the way in and pretty much saved David. What Hunter did right was stop and explain to David what he should do, and not just say don’t do that. Hunter with great patience explained to David what exactly was going on and that green waves were so much better than white wash here. And before Hunter could finish he was starting to run out, David NEVER gave up. Later when David paddled out to tell me, he had the biggest smile and just laughed about it, and everyone else was able to see what not to do but also that if it does happen that it will be okay.

Who cares about onshore breaks and David getting crushed but if you think about it look at is as if the water was the world, or Satin, you were David, and Hunter was God. Some times we feel like we keep getting beat up, hurt, can’t stand up and the world or Satin just keep making you fall. Hunter came in when he knew that you couldn’t do it by yourself. David as suborn as he was let Hunter help him after a while, after David knew it was getting dangerous. God will come in and help you, you just have to have faith and keep trying until he does come. 

Why does David matter? Why am I telling you this? Because no matter what your condition is or what you have to deal with, whether it be a disability or some kind of physical restriction, a disease, or emotional disability, like depression or bi polar; you make matter and you make life what you want it to be. David never gives up. David finds the fun in the hardest of times. David can be you. David is not perfect and did have a melt down later that weekend about something small but we all do. But David tries.

Stop living in fear, and take some risks. Have patience with yourself, and have faith that the Lord will help you. 

Real Talk!

I have been working with 15 and 16 year old girls the last two weeks. We have done EVERYTHING together, and I absolutely adore it.

We have grown together, they respect me, they look up to me, they look at me for guidance. They all give me this look like 'You are absolutly ridiculous, but I love it because I can be just as goofy' kind of look. I have challenged them and pushed them physically and mentally, and they are finally see the differences in themselves because of it, so as much as they hate when I say they have 2 minutes to get ready for the next activity they thank me for making them rush so they can get the most out of what ever that next activity is.

Camp is a fun place to be, we all want a place to escape, even the counselors, it is so true. At our camp, we do not allow make-up, electronics, and don't tolerate negativity or bulling. Kids want a break from the drama, the same routine, the stress of different peer pressures, or practices they have to make. They get to literally put it all away. Escape. And everyone else is doing it too, so they are "different", more or less they are the same, and they love it. They literally do not have to worry about waking up an hour early just to get their hair done, instead they get up 15 minutes before and don't even want to shower every night. They are all doing it together and they are okay with it all. Camp gives them this safe place to just let go and goof off and try new crazy adventures that they may never get to take again.

Camp is a place to relax for them, and not take everything so serious. But they still have that crap inside them and it will never go away until they find someone they trust to tell things to. We are not counselors, we are camp counselors that take care of you. But we also are mentors and role models. A 4 year old age gap is a perfect gap. You can still relate to them, you can still have fun and you can give them enough advice that will help them, but not solve it for them, they still need to live their life. We aren't their best friends or someone to catch them but someone to listen and trust.

These girls need someone who they can trust and I won't give up, just because camp is suppose to be only fun and only an escape. They need an escape from all the people who don't care and who wont listen to them.

Camp for me has been about finding the balance between when to be serious and when to be goofy. These girls are at an age where they need someone to talk to, but they also need to escape. After 2 weeks and a camping trip in the middle, you get decently close to these girls. You know what pushes their buttons, they know who to annoy you, you get frustrated, and you laugh until you can't breath.

Tonight I got the chance to sit down and have a real talk with 6 out of 11 of my girls, the others were surfing. We talked about drugs, alcohol, boys, girls, high school drama, what they love about themselves and what they hate but most of all they just needed to know that they weren't the only ones who felt this way or that way. They needed to know that they matter and that everything that society tells them is impossible so stop trying. They just needed to know that it is okay to not want to go party all the time, but just hang out with their best friends. They wanted to know that someone not in their family or friend group could just listen to them, without judging them or telling them they were wrong.

THEY JUST NEEDED TO KNOW THAT THEY ARE LOVED NO MATTER WHAT!

Girls, YOU MATTER. High school is a tough time but you know what we talked about. Write it down and know that it will be okay, and that you are NOT alone. Find the hope. -Love your Mommy ;)