While on the beach, we saw some very skilled swimmers. Hubs has gotten into swimming for exercise and wished he had brought along a pair of goggles so he could go out and experience some open water swimming. Swimming without goggles in moving water would be less than fun.
As these swimmers finished and were walking past us, they stopped to chat about the books we were reading and let us know that a book festival was going on. Hubs took the opportunity to ask how far they had swam.
Swimmer (think of an island way of speaking): Aw, just down to the pipeline and back, man. Going out was great, but coming back was tough.
Hubs: How far is that?
Swimmer: A mile there. A mile back. Ya know.
Hubs: Wow. Hey, do you know where in town I could buy a pair of goggles? I forgot to pack mine.
Swimmer: Here. Take mine.
Hubs: What? Really?
Swimmer: Oh yeah, just take these. Actually, come with me. I'll getcha a different pair.
Hubs followed the swimmer to his car and found out that he was a swim coach. They talked a while and then he offered Hubs his nicer pair and told him to have fun and "hang loose."
He probably had no idea what an impact those free goggles made on us. They will constantly be a reminder that our stuff is to be used for reaching out to others. The mindset that we want to use all of our stuff that God has given us for his purpose. Whether it is giving it away or sharing it. Those goggles will continue to remind us to not grasp our things but to hold them out with an open palm.
Later, we drove into the surfing town looking for some lunch. We saw that swimmer again and he yelled out, "Go Big Red" as a greeting and then helped us find the best restaurant for lunch. It takes so little effort to be nice to others and help them feel welcome...yet, how often do we remain in our shells and our comfort zones?
1 comment:
Heather: Great post and so true. Something that we may think so insignificant may be the one thing that changed the outlook for someone else.
Enjoy your day! Joan
Post a Comment