Field Notes from the Outer Beach: A Swing, A Pause, A Yes
We spent a quiet Monday last June on one of my favorite outer beaches — the kind of place where salt and sand feel like old friends, and the day rolls by without asking for much. By late afternoon, the day was winding down. Black Betty was airing back up for the ride home when Gabe turned to me and said:
"Hey Mom, want to go on the swings with me?"
I didn’t even look up.
"In a minute," I replied, already making my way toward the bay side to snap a few last photos before we left.
But as I walked away, a quiet voice inside interrupted my momentum.
"Wait a minute... Gabe just asked you to go on the swings."
This is the same teenager who, like most, would typically choose time with friends over hanging with Mom. And yet there he was, asking me to share a simple moment.
A swing. A yes. An invitation back to presence.
I turned around immediately and jogged back to the playground with a grin on my face. I may not have sat right beside him — the middle swings were impossibly high off the ground, and let’s be honest, I’m not risking any broken bones these days — but I sat close. I swung. I laughed. I said yes.
It wasn’t about the swings. It was about choosing now — and choosing him.
Moments like that aren’t always obvious until you’ve already walked past them. I’m glad this time I turned around.
Watch the moment we shared below:
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