Saturday, December 13, 2014

"It's Just A Hole" by Dave Coy


Back in 2007 I wrote…
A few years ago I was on the beach in Florida with some friends and for some reason I decided to start digging a hole. No sandcastles or sculptures, just a hole! I had so much fun that it has become a normal tradition of mine when I go to a beach.
“Why do you enjoy digging holes so much?”
It’s a good question! There are a number of reasons as I think about it. I learn so much from digging a hole.
“What could you POSSIBLY learn from digging a hole?” 
Another good question! Where do I start?
First of all, digging a hole is a pretty mindless task. (No comments please!) So it keeps my hands occupied while I do some good, clear thinking. I’m able to sort through things going on in my life while I am digging.
It is also neat to see something start out so small and over time become so big. It just takes time. This last time I had a hole about four and a half feet deep! There is a sense of accomplishment there.
It is funny to watch people go by as I am digging. I would like to think that they are amazed at what a great hole I am digging, but most likely they are amazed at this strange guy digging a hole. But it never fails! It seems a young boy always finds his way over to my hole. One boy even jumped in and helped me! In the process of digging the hole we got to talk. I found out all about his family and their vacation; and how he’s never really been to church. It’s a great time to build a relationship!
Then there’s the physical exercise. Digging and pushing and pulling the sand is really great work for muscles.
And, finally, you finish! It’s amazing to see this HUGE hole in the middle of the beach, big enough to fit people in it!
But that’s not the end of the story. This last time that I dug a hole, my friends asked if they could fill it back in. What took me forty-five minutes to dig, they had filled back in within two minutes. You would never know there was even a hole there!
What a waste, right?
Only if you forget about everything that I just wrote about!! The people who walked by, the time to think, the physical exercise and the little boys’ lives I’ve been able to touch in some way. Who knows? Maybe there is a little ten-year-old somewhere digging a hole right now! So, what seems like no big deal, and even maybe a waste of time, can mean SO much and do so much in so many lives!
*   *   *
Now, seven years after I wrote those thoughts, we went on vacation in North Carolina, and our own boys helped me dig another hole. Jax was so excited to get to the beach and help me dig. It’s kind of a dumb legacy, but it reminds me that I want to leave both boys a real legacy as well.

[Editor’s note: I wonder if sometimes we leave the real legacies through our interactions with people during those times in our lives when we feel as though we’re just digging a hole – we sometimes call them “ruts”- that will be filled in and forgotten when we’re gone. Thank you, Dave, for reminding us. hhc]

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