Impermanence

The busy holiday season winds down with a visit from some friends and their young son. 

As I showed them around yesterday we took a turn into Ft Zach for some beach time. Their son E, likes to build. And build he did a fort with a deep sitting hole complete with wall to protect it from the sea. When it was time to take a swim, I noticed another kid take over the fort.

Lets call this kid "Squatter" or better yet "Squat".

So Squat sat enjoying his newfound home and E noticed quickly turning to rage as he realized an outsider had invaded.  E, ran up but got shy when he closed in and just stared at the kid longingly to have his fort back. 

The kid stone cold ignored E and he returned to the ocean realizing what he built was gone.

Swim time once again and as it got chilly, I decided it was time to get out. I saw the fort was unattended so I took it over. Yup, sat my adult ass right down in that hole and shook my fist in the air to E's father in an act of victory that we had jokingly reclaimed the fort.

As I did my victory hole shimmy, Squat came quickly over and gave me a death stare. 

"Hey that's MINE!" he said.

For someone who has had to share all her favorite places these last two weeks with hoards of visitors, I couldn't believe the grip this kid had on something that wasn't truly his. So I gave him a schmoopy sad face but refused to budge.

E's mother watching my kid stare down came over to smooth the ever growing situation. 

"Don't you want to share?" she sweetly said.

I concurred, "Yeah, don't you want to share??" asking nicely with schmoopy face.

"NO! IT'S MINE!!!!"

As I looked at this kid, wanting to say it, but thinking it instead: ("No, its not.") A giant wave came up and washed the entire fort away. 

(Sidenote: there are no waves in Key West which makes this ever more awesome)

His look went from rage to disbelief and mine went from schmoopy to a giant laughing grin. It was the perfect way to resolve this issue.

Time to rebuild and we asked Squat if he'd like to help E. He did and became a whole different kid.

Made me think about how we often hold on tight to outside things in an attempt to make us feel complete. 

Wondered also if most of the world's conflicts could be resolved with a simple lesson in Impermanence. It is not mine. It is not yours. Everything changes. 

But most of all it gave me the most gratifying laugh and finale to this crazy holiday season.