Hot sun. Salty air. Rhythmic waves.
A
little boy is on his knees scooping and packing the sand with plastic
shovels into a bright blue bucket. Then he upends the bucket on the
surface and lifts it. And, to the delight of the little architect, a
castle tower is created.
All
afternoon he will work. Spooning out the moat. Packing the walls.
Bottle tops will be sentries. Popsicle sticks will be bridges. A
sandcastle will be built.
Big city. Busy streets. Rumbling traffic.
A
man is in his office. At his desk he shuffles papers into stacks and
delegates assignments. He cradles the phone on his shoulder and punches
the keyboard with his fingers. Numbers are juggled and contracts are
signed and much to the delight of the man, a profit is made.
All
his life he will work. Formulating the plans. Forecasting the future.
Annuities will be sentries. Capital gains will be bridges. An empire
will be built.
Two builders of two castles. They have much in
common. They shape granules into grandeurs. They see nothing and make
something. They are diligent and determined. And for both the tide will
rise and the end will come.
Yet that is where the similarities
cease. For the boy sees the end while the man ignores it. Watch the boy
as the dusk approaches.
As the waves near, the wise child jumps
to his feet and begins to clap. There is no sorrow. No fear. No regret.
He knew this would happen. He is not surprised. And when the great
breaker crashes into his castle and his masterpiece is sucked into the
sea, he smiles. He smiles, picks up his tools, takes his father's hand,
and goes home.
The grownup, however, is not so wise. As the wave
of years collapses on his castle he is terrified. He hovers over the
sandy monument to protect it. He blocks the waves from the walls he has
made. Salt-water soaked and shivering he snarls at the incoming tide.
"It's my castle," he defies.
The ocean need not respond. Both know to whom the sand belongs...
I
don't know much about sandcastles. But children do. Watch them and
learn. Go ahead and build, but build with a child's heart. When the sun
sets and the tides take - applaud. Salute the process of life and go
home.
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