A Skip In Time

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, I couldn’t believe it, 6!  At first I thought it was magic.  Of course the first time I saw him do it I was probably 3 or 4.  Later I was convinced that it was a trick. It had to be, he never failed to do it better than anyone else.  I tried and was a complete flop.  I just couldn’t do it.  The worst part about failing at this particular endeavor was the sound.  People didn’t even have to see you fail. The Ker plunk that seemed to echo off the river banks told the tale.  But when Dad did it, it seemed like everything and everyone went silent.   We watched as it gently tapped the water as if to tease it with its gravity defying flight, until it chose its final diving place.  A simple thing like skipping a stone caused smiles and cheers all around.

As he did with every activity, Dad taught us the proper techniques and how and where to find the smoothest and flattest skipping stones.  I was great at finding the flat stones and realized my true calling was to provide for those who could use them to their fullest potential.  I knew even if I could manage a skip or two, I would never follow in his footsteps so I was content to hear his praise when I found a “good one”.  6 skips wasn’t even his record but the most amazing thing was his consistency.  He had the knack and never failed to impress.

I will never forget the day, long after my father’s passing when I stood alone on the shore of a high mountain lake.  It was a place where I would go when I was sad or lonely or angry and that day was no different.  I was heartbroken and I ran to my sanctuary to figure life out.   All I could think to do as I stood looking out over the beautiful shimmering water, was pick up the first rock I saw and fling it unceremoniously  into the water.  It was one of those overly wound up, and purposely wild armed throws that had no real intended destination.  Well, you guessed it, it slapped the water hard enough to sink but instead it bounced again and again and again.  I have no witnesses to this and I certainly couldn’t claim to know how I did it, but what I do know is that a simple thing like skipping a stone brought a smile to my face again.