My son is two and he taught me something this week. He taught me that while an optimist may run headlong into impossible situations it is this very action that sets in motion the trajectory of an exciting journey.
 
It was another sunny summery Dunedin day in our backyard that my son decided to catch one of the birds that visit our garden. My six-year-old daughter had observed them eating the berries in one of the trees, so she collected them and divided them up among her sister and brother. Then she left them to their own devices while she constructed her own elaborate nest in the fork of the tree, complete with the berries.
 
My four-year-old daughter followed her lead.
 
My son decided to take a different approach to the challenge. He cellotaped a berry, by its 3cm-long stalk, to his index finger. He then hid in a kaka beak bush and poked his hand up through the foliage so that all an unsuspecting bird would see would be a berry from a completely different tree and a cellotape-wrapped finger.  
 
Despite his patience he came home empty handed, but, true to the merit of any eternal optimist, he was surprised and encouraged by how close he'd actually brushed with success.
 
Optimism is a likeable character trait and an essential one if you are a creative individual. It lets you try things without that fear of failure and it leads you on paths in life that perhaps not everyone would pursue.
 
I like it that our kids teach us such things and remind us that sometimes in life you just have to give an idea a chance to grow.
 
Looks like the best waves this week are going to be around Thursday once the winds ease up a bit. Hope you find some or at least get some time on the sand.
 
See you at the beach ...