Sandcastle

Hot sun. Salty air. Rhythmic waves. A little boy is on his knees scooping and packing 
the sand with plastic shovels into a bright blue bucket. Then he upends the bucket 
on the surface and lifts it. And, to the delight of the little architect, a castle 
tower is created. All afternoon he will work. Spooning out the moat. Packing the walls. 
Bottle tops will be sentries. Popsicle sticks will be bridges. A sandcastle will be built.

Big city. Busy streets. Rumbling traffic. A man is in his office. At his desk he shuffles 
papers into stacks and delegates assignments. He cradles the phone on his shoulder and 
punches the keyboard with his fingers. Numbers are juggled and contracts are signed and 
much to the delight of the man, a profit is made. All his life he will work. Formulating 
the plans. Forecasting the future. Annuities will be sentries. Capital gains will be 
bridges. An empire will be built. 

Two builders of two castles. They have much in common. They shape granules into grandeurs. 
They see nothing and make something. They are diligent and determined. And for both the 
tide will rise and the end will come. Yet that is where the similarities cease. For the 
boy sees the end while the man ignores it. Watch the boy as the dusk approaches. As the 
waves near, the wise child jumps to his feet and begins to clap. There is no sorrow. No 
fear. No regret. He knew this would happen. He is not surprised. And when the great 
breaker crashes into his castle and his masterpiece is sucked into the sea, he smiles. 
He smiles, picks up his tools, takes his father's hand, and goes home. 

The grownup, however, is not so wise. As the wave of years collapses on his castle he is 
terrified. He hovers over the sandy monument to protect it. He blocks the waves from the 
walls he has made. Salt-water soaked and shivering he snarls at the incoming tide. 
"It's my castle," he defies. The ocean need not respond. Both know to whom the sand 
belongs... I don't know much about sandcastles. But children do. Watch them and learn. 
Go ahead and build, but build with a child's heart. When the sun sets and the tides 
take - applaud. Salute the process of life and go home.