Cousin Michael arrived yesterday from Prescott, Arizona, with his 5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son. After taking them to their hotel I drove them to the beach. Alex and Gaby had never seen the ocean before.
But they knew exactly what to do. They ran up to the edge, and then ran back, again and again, as the foamy water chased their feet. They dug their hands in the sand and molded it in shapes. They picked up shells.
They had read no ocean how-to books; they had not asked facebook friends for seashore tips. It was all pure instinct, a natural and effortless and immemorial encounter.
