Ft. Lauderdale Beach

(I took this with my iPhone at 7:15am when I ran down to the beach to watch the sunrise.)

Growing up so close to the beach, my life virtually revolved around the ocean. I would spend my weekends either swimming miles of shoreline for swim practice or sunning myself on the sand. There was always a pickup game of volleyball to be found and in the absence of any responsibility outside of swim practice, endless hours of beach time to burn.

(The pier is stretching out on the right.)

In the evenings, my best friend, Andy, and I would pick up a box of Krispy Kreme donuts and large Coke slurpees (from 7-11 of course) and head down to the Pier to consume our sugary treats and talk about our dreams. We would sit on the edge of the Pier and dangle our bare feet over the edge, guarding our donuts from the hungry pelicans.

For a long time after I moved away, I couldn't go back to the Pier because it brought back so many memories that I ached with homesickness for my carefree days at the beach. As the years wore on, that ache mellowed into a warm fondness for my youth and I slowly started heading back to that same stretch of beach to ruefully remember how I thought my life would be.

Life has certainly come full circle. Out of habit and nostalgia, I've been taking Parker to the stretch next to the Commercial Pier for his daily outing of sun and fun.

I think that he finds the same peace there that I have my whole life.