Boys

The weather at the beach today was delicious.

Also, there were three boys nearby me on the sand, probably around 20 years old, who buried each other in the sand, one by one. Two of them buried the one friend, then he got out of the sand, another guy laid down, they buried him, then he got up and they buried the last guy. Then the first guy who was buried laid down again and was buried in sand a second time, alongside guy #3 who was still lying there, buried in sand.

I loved that they were playing the way 12 year old boys might, but they were so much older. One thing I really appreciate among the male gender when I come across it is a healthy degree of hanging onto boyhood playfulness.

Note: This is different from a man who is taking his sweet time in embracing adulthood responsibilities in order to, you know, mature.

When I see boys around the age of eight who haven't become self-conscious about what other boys or girls think of them, it really touches my heart. Because so often guys enter this phase of acting like Joe Cool, and so often they never leave that phase. Plus a lot of people in general get to the adult stage of life and rarely act like a kid when the time is appropriate to do so.

I grew up in a playful family--who remains playful--and so if nothing else, being silly really goes back to my roots and what I know to be natural. I'm comfortable with being silly. On occasion I have urges to literally frolic. If someone is too stiff, it aggravates me.

So when I see guys around the age of 20 burying each other in the sand without hesitation, it makes me cheer inside. Bravo, boys. Keep it up. And thanks for the entertainment today.