Last summer, my family and I had one last hurrah before school started by taking a short getaway to the beach. Our daughter, Emma, had informed us that in all of her seven years of living she had only been to the beach one time for a few hours. I know what you’re thinking–major parent fail!

Just between you and me, I must admit that I am not a die-hard beach girl. While I love the idea of the beach–the crashing waves, the breeze, the warm sun, the laid-back, fun atmosphere, etc.–the reality of the massive amounts of sand found for days to follow forces me to grin and bear it as the sand covers our bodies, our towels, our bags, and even our car. On the other hand, my husband, Robb, loves it all. Still, he can get his entire beach experience filled in just two short hours, and then he is ready to move on. However, as any dutiful parents would, we laid all of our reservations aside and embarked on this two-day beach adventure filled with big plans for all kinds of fun for our daughter.

As we drove through torrential rain to get there, I studied the impending forecast only to find two straight days of rain and thunderstorms ahead of us. My mind began to race with “plan B” options. But when the beach is what your seven-year-old has been dreaming of and thinking about for weeks, there is no plan B. Rain or shine, stormy or serene, there was no turning back. The beach would be our destiny for the next two days.

Since we we were practically driving through a monsoon to get there, we decided to take our time and grab some lunch and also stop for some beach essentials. You know, the boogie board, the token pail and shovel that you pay ten dollars for (all the while kicking yourself for not grabbing the stack of them at home), bottled waters, and all the infamous beach snacks that you can’t live without.

We finally arrived at the much-anticipated resort during the late afternoon, which gave us time to get settled in and scout out the beach that we would be calling home for the next two days. After dinner and ice cream, we nestled in our beds with visions of surfboards and sand castles all dancing in our heads.

Hours later, we awoke to an 80 percent chance of rain forecast and mostly cloudy skies at best. “That’s okay,” we cheered. We were at the beach, and we were going to make the most of it. We packed our beach bag, donned our bathing suits, slathered ourselves up with sunscreen, and we were on our way with an optimistic skip in our step.

Upon arrival, we happily set up camp, rented chairs and an umbrella, and officially made our beach debut. Robb and Emma jumped the waves as I cheered them on. We searched for crabs and starfish, made sand castles, and, in the midst of all of our beach fun, failed to notice the dark clouds rolling in until they were right upon us.

As the threatening clouds grew darker and the rain began to descend, I couldn’t help but notice three very distinct reactions from our fellow beachgoers. First, there were those who panicked and quickly scurried to gather all of their carefully laid out beach accessories and ran as fast as they could indoors, away from the storm–their high hopes and dreams of a perfect beach day shattered by the fierceness of the wind and rain.

Then, there were those like me who hunkered down under the umbrella all the while hoping and praying the storm would quickly pass by, yet disappointed by the interruption it caused to their plans.

Lastly, there was Robb and Emma. They chose not to let the storm affect their dreams for the day. They ran, chased the waves, and danced in the rain, making the most of every moment despite the less than ideal circumstances.

As I listened to my family’s laughter and watched them chase each other into the ocean, I couldn’t help but wonder if this whole beach experience was a picture of how it is in our lives when the unexpected storms come along. We all have such high hopes and dreams for how we want things to be. We make meticulous plans for our dreams, yet sometimes storms come along and threaten to hijack everything.

It is in those disappointing moments that we can choose how we will perceive and react to the storm. We can panic and immediately give up on our most cherished dreams–seeing the storm as a permanent and invincible foe in our lives. We can hunker down and wait for the storm to pass, fixating on the disruption to our plans. Or we can see the storm as a passing inconvenience but not a dream destroyer. We can choose to keep living, to keep dancing, and to make the most of every minute of this adventure called life.

The choice is really up to us. It’s all about perspective, and it’s all about trust. So, if you will excuse me while I leave my umbrella, I’ve got some dancing in the rain to catch up on.

~Taken from Dare to Soar, pages 99-102.

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