The Lovely Ordinary

When people ask about my favorite childhood vacations, my mind immediately goes to the beach.

Every year, my family spent a week at the beach. We stayed in the same place, visited the same beaches, and followed many of the same traditions.

While it may not sound exciting to most, to me, it was magical.

What I remember most isn’t the destination itself. It’s the moments.

I remember my dad building a sea turtle out of sand. While my sister and I worked on simple sandcastles, he created something much more impressive!

I remember floating in the ocean in an inflatable tube while my dad held onto both my sister and me.

“We’re being taken out to sea!” he would yell, as he kicked up his feet. We would shriek in panic and laughter while he played along.

In reality, we were probably in water shallow enough to touch the bottom.

But to us, it felt like an adventure!

I remember spending hours on the boat. Tubing was always my favorite. My dad knew exactly how to hit the waves to make us fly across the water. Looking back, I’m sure he enjoyed our reactions as much as we enjoyed the ride.

I remember visiting a lighthouse and stopping at the nearby sandbar. I remember seeing sea stars, sharks, fish, and all sorts of marine life. Every trip seemed to hold some new discovery.

Those vacations hold some of my happiest memories with my dad.

As we got older, things changed.

My sister became more interested in sitting on the beach with a book than playing in the water. My dad got older too. Eventually he stopped coming down to the beach with us as often. The traditions stayed, but they felt different.

That’s the thing about childhood memories. You don’t realize you’re living through them while they’re happening.

You don’t know which moments will stay with you for decades.

You don’t know that one day you’ll look back and realize that a simple week at the beach became one of the defining parts of your childhood.

When I think about those vacations now, I don’t remember the hotels, restaurants, or even most of the places we visited.

I remember my dad.

I remember laughing in the water.

I remember feeling safe.

I remember feeling happy.

And that’s why those trips were more than just a beach vacation.