Inspiration strikes from different places. Right now, I am settling in on one of our E Z Rider bean bags while my staff and I bring two of our boats back to our marina following Hurricane Milton. The sun is shining, the birds are working and the water is an inviting shade of blue. It’s absolutely beautiful, but I’m struck with the memory of just how bad conditions were two weeks ago in this exact same spot. Therein lies the juxtaposition we live with here in Florida.
The one-two punch Hurricane Helene and Milton delivered to the Gulf Coast hit with the ferocity which would have made Iron Mike proud. The inside of our dive shop was a 4-foot raging river in round one, and we lost of our roof in round two. Ours was akin to pictures from up and down Florida’s West coast. Knowing the resilience of my fellow Floridians, round three will look very different.
As I stare out onto the horizon, I can hear my Dad’s reaction to my melancholy, “Son, nothing in life that’s worth anything is easy.” And, he is so right. There will always be struggles and detours no matter how perfect or magical the water’s surface appears. Our merit is all about how we respond, and I know he would be proud of how my crew and I got up off the mat and stayed in the ring.
He would be proud of not only us, but of all of the hard-working people picking up the pieces and remembering why we choose to live here, knowing full well that this will not be the last time we face this same adversity. The sun, the sand and the water is our shared playground and having access to this outweighs the struggles that sometimes accompany it.
With my Dad’s wisdom of hope and perseverance easing my mind, I sink deeper into this beanbag, resolved to take in all the beauty around me before it’s time to roll up the sleeves, swap the flip flops for work boots and tuck this vessel back into a safe (for now) harbor.