Jolts of Nature #2
Following an arduous journey from Oklahoma, we settled in for our first full day on the beach at Tybee Island, Georgia a few years ago. Our teens couldn’t wait to get down to the water and play in the waves.
Kathy and I were situated at least 50 feet from where the salty water rolled in and out, smoothing out the sand. With our beach chair, towels, food and too many other beach “necessities”, we absorbed the moment. Nice and spacious. Folks like us watched their children, with at least 30 feet or more between each set of people. Suntan lotion slathered on thick, and the umbrella positioned perfectly to keep us mostly in the shade, we chatted, appreciative of this…
“Whaaaaa?!? Grab the phone! Get the towel out of the water! Don’t let the chair go out to sea!” we all barked and shouted along with every other group of beachgoers and sunbathers lined up on our stretch of beach.
We had been hit by a rogue wave! We saw it coming, assuming it would subside back into the sea, perhaps only a few feet further up the beach than the previous waves. But no, this one came in strong and seemed to build momentum. It hit us about a foot deep still and bounced off the sand bank behind us. Everything got wet. Each set of people was just as surprised as the next. We spoke to people we had only previously nodded to politely with mutual astonishment and disbelief. We had all been hit by a rogue wave.
Rogue waves. I don’t like them. You probably don’t either. They come in the form of trips to the ER, discovering that you’ve been robbed, or that you must find a new job quickly. Often, they are accompanied by major withdrawals from the savings account (or major hits to the credit card). Rogue waves happen just often enough that we think we’re immune to them. But we’re not. No one is.
So, we prepare. Saving and thinking ahead helps, but the precise circumstances can still have a shocking effect. Ready or not, rogue waves roll into our lives from time to time with a jolt.
Worth Repeating
Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.
-Alexander Graham Bell
