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| "Little Man, Big Waves" Photo by, Kylene Frank - Newport Beach, CA -2012 |
I would imagine that most of us are quite familiar with sand. Most people have probably seen a body of water that's surrounded by it. Maybe you live in the desert - where it's never in short supply. Perhaps you've taken walks over dunes with a loved one. The simple truth is that our planet is made up of 70% water, so as you could imagine, sand just naturally comes with the territory. When you really think about sand - specifically it's size (which ranges anywhere from .004 mm-64 mm - depending on the particle) it's downright inspiring to think about the sheer volume of a single beach and just how many individual sand particles come together to form that warm, soft cushion that our feet just love to hug on a breezy summer day in mid-July.
It's at this point you may be asking yourself, "Why is this strange dude so infatuated with the thought of sand? It's SAND! Who cares!" And to a certain degree, you'd be right. I mean if it's just sand than what's the point of discussing it? But, just for the fun of it, let's dig a little deeper into it (Pun intended).
Sand has many uses, and not just those on the beach. For example, if sand weren't so available to us we wouldn't have clean water, agriculturally diverse crops such as watermelon (which thrives in sandy soils, and without which we wouldn't be able to enjoy during our favorite summer activities - like ridding our farmer's tans on the beach). We wouldn't have bricks to make that new shabby chic apartment complex in our bustling cities, situated next to that trendy coffee shop (which is also made out of brick). There would be no glass to make those big bay windows in that lovely house that allows you to catch a glimpse of the sunrise outside in that beautiful world of ours. The folks in the lower continental U.S wouldn't be able to use bags of it to protect themselves against rising tides that create flooding. And perhaps the most important, there would be no more knights in shining armor, no more motes to cross, because our children wouldn't have the ability to create sandcastles (and some adults).
So you see, sand has it's many uses. Some much more important than just being a simple amenity to our feet. And just as sand is as individual as we are, I believe there's an important lesson to be learned here from it. If something that is not much bigger than the period I use to end this statement can be joined collectively, with others of it's kind to produce something so much more extraordinary than it is by itself, think about what people have, can, and will do as similar creatures on this earth.
Human beings have accomplished so much, we've set aside our own opinions in order to achieve great things that we otherwise couldn't have done without coming together. There is absolutely strength in numbers. Sand is proof. We've come together to beat great odds that were stacked against us. We've made great discoveries to improve life, and we're better for it. We've survived for such a long time, not because we worked alone, but because we came together and worked hard to achieve something much bigger than all of us. You see, sand is motivated, just like you and I. It wants to be part of something bigger, whether it's being a part of the next great barrier reef, or in some bag of soil to aid in the growth of some fruit or vegetable that you or I might enjoy.
I urge all of you (myself included) to be more like sand, because together we are so much stronger and better than just being an individual. Be a grain of sand, great as you are, and even better together.
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