As soon as the clock struck 5:01 Friday afternoon, I was out the door and beach bound for my college friend’s wedding. While my friends who were bridesmaids spent the majority of the day fulfilling their duties, I entertained myself with one of favorite pastimes — people watching.
Around my second mojito, a family claimed the chairs and umbrella next to me. They appeared to be your typical family of five. Dad lathered up on SPF 75 and moved his chair so that it was completely encompassed by the umbrella’s shade. Mom was itching to going for a mile-long walk down the beach. The oldest son appeared to be around 15 and never looked up from his phone. The somewhat younger brother spent the entire afternoon falling off his skim board.
Then there was the youngest, curly-headed blonde baby sister. She took in the miles of sand and sea with wide-eyed wonder. It was the “bestest, most awesome thing ever,” or so she said roughly 20 times. After collecting a bucketful of shells with mom, running into the waves with her middle brother, and burying and unburying dad’s feet, the only one left was too-cool Big Brother.
After much pleading, pouty faces, and a few scolding glances from mom and dad, Big Brother put his phone down and agreed to play “but only for a few minutes.” Little Sister was so excited she didn’t even know where to begin! They decided to build a sand castle and decorate it with the shells she found. She smiled from ear to ear, revealing at least two missing baby teeth, as cool Big Brother got on his knees and played alongside her. To him, it might have been an annoying break from snap-chat or Twitter, but to her it was everything.
All too often we are so caught up in our own lives that we neglect those closest to us. We dismiss our family members, especially the younger ones, saying “not now,” “I’m busy,” “maybe later.” Our excuses can stretch on and on, because they’re family and they will still be there when we have more time, right? All too often, that is sadly not the case. Older relatives age and face health problems. Siblings grow up, sometimes moving hundreds of miles away. Before we know it, we are left yearning to be on the beach with them again.
Time spent with family is precious and fleeting, so make time to build those sand castles.
Anna Rush is a law student from Hattiesburg. She graduated from Mississippi State University in 2011. Follow her on Twitter @annakrush.
