my parents were set on taking us to the beach today, although we weren't really up for it. but we obediently packed ourselves in the van for a 50-minute car ride from their house. upon arrival, we were greeted by an overcast sky, the mist so enveloping it was like standing in a massive gray cloud. my parents methodically unpacked the beach chairs and started for the sand while my sister and i (and our husbands) tentatively followed, not in much of a mood to be where we were but appeasing them nonetheless. as we made our way toward the water, droplets of rain started falling. this didn't discourage either of my parents though. they were jovial and laughing, all of us kids wondering how they could be having such a great time in such miserable weather. as soon as we put our chairs down, they headed to the waves hand in hand, dipping their feet in the ocean. mere minutes later, it started raining harder and the lifeguards kicked us off the beach. we had probably been there no more than 10 minutes before having to head back home, since there wasn't much to do in a shore town in the rain.
during the car ride home, the sky dried up and the sun even poked through. we joked about how funny it was that we traveled nearly an hour each way to visit the beach for about 5 minutes. it was an event so typical of my parents, and we had agreed to tag along since we were doing it for them.
what i've realized as i'm writing this is that they were in fact doing it for us; planning this day trip to the beach, putting on a happy face once we got there, despite the crappy weather. making our day enjoyable and memorable.
and i've also decided that by having just a glimpse of how happy it made them to have us there together, i would go to the beach with them on a rainy day any day.
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