The day of September 4, 2012 I held my breath for seven hours. My mind raced with the details that were filling Lucas’ first day of kindergarten; was his teacher kind? were the kids kind? did he speak up when he needed to use the bathroom? would he like the lunch I had packed him? I exhaled when I saw him step off the bus, a smile on his face. Relief. My son had survived his first day of kindergarten and more importantly so had I. Seven years later and Lucas has more than survived, he’s gained confidence, spirit and strength through those first friendships and the many more that formed, through the teachers that challenged him and supported him he learned that sometimes discipline is belief and struggles are progress and through the parents that supported me so that I could support him he saw the beauty and felt the love of community.
Tagged: elementary school, Floris, graduation, photography
Sayulita is a surf town. Surfers and surf boards dot the coastline and the beach. There is a vibrant, contagious energy; the thrill of the surfers and wanna-be surfers waiting to catch a wave. But for swimming, for relaxing on the beach, this is not the place to be. Head a bit further south and you’ll find Playa de los Muertos, a little nook of a cove tucked behind Punta Sayulita, creating a calm, swimmable beach.
The unexpected is profound. No comparisons, no build-up, no presuppositions, it can simply be. And in that simplicity is the impact. We can truly experience all the details for what they are; ordinary. We arrived in Sayulita at noon and by late afternoon made our first steps into town and onto the main beach. I heard the din of dispersed and disparate conversations, a tuba and drums accompanied by other brass instruments play something that belonged in a parade but made so much sense to be on the beach, I saw umbrella after umbrella, tourists and locals intermixed, I felt the energy; enthused but orderly, I smelled delicious flavor after delicious flavor and I experienced the complexity and layers of this culture in this simple setting of a day at the beach. In this moment I wasn’t overwhelmed, I was captivated, instantly falling in love with this town. This feeling would further deepen with each day we spent in Sayulita; the friendly locals, the respectful tourists, the fresh food, the rustic and the chic, a sleepy surf town turned Mexican tourist destination struggling to hold onto its identity while accommodating the eager throngs. I recognize this place is far past discovery but to us it was all new.
God bless Oliver, a boy with wit, silliness and sincerity. Observant and inquisitive, noticing all the details that make him thoughtful and make him worry.
