Sitting by the sea

Yesterday, on my way home from seeing a good friend of mine, i stopped on the seafront and sat on the pebbles for a while. I didn't read much, or listen to music, or do anything at all, i just sat there. But it was nice. Really nice. I felt completely at peace and like it was good to just sit, and to just be. I watched these kids playing in the sea - personally i would have thought it was far too cold to be in the sea, and obviously the kids parents thought the same - they were huddled together under several layers... but the children themselves were running around completely free... half-naked, uninhibited and unconcerned by the wind or the temperature, or anything at all. There was another little boy who was standing on this rock. His parents were trying to change his nappy. He was obviously so excited to be by the sea that he was just standing there, twirling round and round in circles, whilst his Dad attempted to clean him up and change his pants and his Mum was trying to wipe his nose. It made me smile. The way he was so free, and so unaware of what his parents were doing for him. And i loved the way that his parents just let him twirl, and just let him be, even though they had to change his pants and wipe his nose and completely take care of him at that same moment. And i realised again how much joy children give and children have, even though they don't achieve great things, or try to prove anything - i mean they don't even take care of themselves, or know how to make themselves clean. They let other people do it for them. They are completely humble, they know how to receive. They know how to just be. You can learn a lot from kids.