Sailing

One of the nicest things about living in Texas is that the sun shines about 90 percent of the time; and most of those days are nice enough to be outside. So, even though it was the middle of December, a bright day just a couple of weeks ago found our family at the park.

Ian has a remote control sailboat that he launched for the first time on the pond. He was so excited to be controlling his watercraft. The intense concentration seemed to rev his little engine. It was very windy that afternoon, and Ian found the sail to be more of a hindrance than a help, so he and Steve removed it and created an r/c motor boat instead. It worked great.

At a time of day when Ian is normally checking out and avoiding contact with others, he was fully engaged and eager to tell me about his boating adventures. One nuance that particularly caught his attention was that sometimes the wind or waves tried to capture the boat and take it beyond his reach. Sometimes, he just had to wait for the water to calm a bit before he could steady the vessel and bring it closer to shore.

Not so long ago, this lack of control would have quickly frustrated him, and he would have thrown the remote on the ground as he stomped home. But that didn't happen. He enjoyed the challenge. He began to appreciate the influence nature has over things made by man. He realized, at least in this case, that he is not always in control ... and that is o.k.

And for me, giving up control meant standing back and watching Ian do his thing. Not giving advice, not placing limitations, not saying a word. Just enjoying the peaceful moment of a boy sailing his boat.