Hot, humid days. The B'hai temple looming in the background. Sailboats bobbing up and down.
The family loads up. I want to share with the kids my most precious memories of my youth in my most precious place.
Dad used to motor us out on the Catalina and when we got older, the Erikson. We called it the private beach. This beach only accessible by boat. Since as long as I can remember, Andy and I made it our mission to swim to ashore to these undiscovered lands. To put our feet down in the sand and claim this land as our own.
We'd do that long swim and as Andy reminded us the other day, "You'd get there and have no towels because you had to swim there and you'd get really cold."
Last weekend, when my 7 year old nephew boarded the vessel, I said, "C, you wanna jump off the boat with me? Just you and me?"
He got so excited and I was so excited to do with him one of my favorite things.
Then we motored around the coast line. Looking at the large homes. The owner of the Cubs daughter's new place. Massive backyards with personal harbors.
The longer we motored the more the gang made comments of it being too cold, or too hard, or the current too strong. Instilling doubt and fear in my young nephew's and my head. Listening to the masses, I had forgotten that I often swim in the freezing bay here or surf in the winter time in the Pacific Ocean or cold plunge in ice cold pools after my sauna. I started to think, maybe we shouldn't but I couldn't back down. I had given my word to my nephew and one must make good on their promises. Especially with the young and impressionable.
Then he got all nervous, empathically picking up on everyone's doubt, like his aunt. But, Andy, the ever confident brother of mine, showed his lack of doubt, his trust,
We get to the back of the boat. C wants me to go first. I say, we're in this together, I grab his hand. He hesitates. He mind fricks. He has gotten in his head. Just like we do in life. Convince ourselves we can not do something. Finally, with the encouragement of his parents and me, we grab hands and go for it.
The exhilaration!
We made it. I was so proud of the little man. And when we got back on the boat I said, "There will always be people telling you, you can't do things, or things are hard but don't let that stop you, be brave, do what you want."
It was such a life lesson. That I have had to learn over and over and over in life and watching it play out with my little nephew was enlightening. We listen to other's opinions and not to our hearts, we over think things to the point of abandoning the mission but if we turn off all those voices and jump in, life can be so much sweeter.
Being an aunt is a true joy. Being able to be in a roll of encouraging one and help them push pass their doubts and into greatness is an extraordinary roll to play. Lord knows, I have had these mentors and coaches push me to live a tremendous life.