Today I will be happier than a bird with a french fry

We were on spring break in Jensen Beach, FL a few weeks ago.  My middle son had stayed with a friend and their family down in West Palm Beach.  We went down and picked the three boys up to stay with us for a day and half. This photograph was from the day that we took them to the beach.

It was a very choppy day, but it was toward the end of our time there so everyone wanted to go.  The flags at the lifeguard stand were waving in the wind.  Red and purple flapping quickly back and forth.

If you aren’t familiar with the beach flag systems a red flag mean high hazard (rough conditions such as strong surf and or currents). You will often see surfers out if the timing of the waves is good. The purple flag means marine pests (jellyfish, stingrays, and dangerous fish).  Typically at this beach it has always meant jellyfish and sure enough there were little purple blobs (man-o-wars) along the shoreline

One of the boys we brought had never surfed and really wanted to try.  Since it was so rough, we let him surf the whitewater.  He got up right away.  Aahhh…to be young.  I can barely make it up and am usually a spectator.  There were other surfers out beyond us, but we were there with 5 teens. My kids swim like a fish as does my husband.  I, however, am not a strong swimmer.  My oldest was attempting to catch waves on the paddleboard, my husband was coaching the teen on the board and the other three were body surfing and diving headfirst into the monstrous waves.

With the waves crashing one after the other, I had no interest in being pummeled.  I walked along the shoreline collecting seashells,  talked to the lifeguard who came along on his four-wheeler to let me know they had seen man-o-wars, and then I settled back into my spot.  I sat there on my pink and green beach blanket smelling the salt air, watching the teens laugh, and snapping pictures on occasion.  I heard a little boy behind and to the left of me.  He was intrigued by the seagulls and they were intrigued by him….because he had some french fries.  His mother told him that he could feed them some.  So two seagulls were there hovering waiting for the moment he would throw one out.  I was able to snap some great pictures because they were so close.  When he threw them a fry, a bird would swoop down and grab it up, immediately heading toward the shoreline with the other bird in hot pursuit.

The birds were completely enraptured  by this easy dinner, the little boy was enthralled by their fascination with him, and I was the bystander silently taking it all in. It was entertaining to watch and I was reminded of the quote “Today I will be happier than a bird with a french fry”.  Sometimes it is the simplicity of daily life where we can find the most happiness.

Let your light shine!

Amy