Friends on the Beach: The Pink Tent Story

Sometimes you just need to be alone for a while to re-charge.  Some very stupid things have been going on with me lately that have made me reflect on a particular situation and see it from a different perspective.  It is all kind of melancholy and deep and the kind of situation that I don't wish to linger, but that has.    It has been kind of pervasive lately and I'm looking forward to better things to come - and soon, I hope.

Last night, I took my big dawg down to the beach behind The Village.  It is a very large, very quiet, very clean beach and there is usually no one around.  Sometimes I just want to walk my dog in peace without people coming up and wanting to take selfies with him, or women shreeking and running to get away.  This beach is the perfect place (the only pitfall is having to drive through traffic to get there and back).

Last night, there wasn't quite a full moon, but it was still giving off light and the water was flat and still.  There were a few couples on the beach, quietly talking.  No one else was around.  The lights from the houses on the shore were dim and there was no sound.  Perfect for clearing my head.

In the distance, I saw what appeared to be a tent with little fairy lights.  Since we were walking in that direction (to be honest, since I was being pulled in that direction by the big dog), I decided to keep going to take a look at whatever it was.  As I got closer, it was indeed a tent (more of one of those pagoda shade types you can buy anywhere) decorated with shiny ribbons flowing in the breeze, and pink LED lights, which gave off a glow that was reflected on the water.  Inside, there were a few young Kuwaiti girls sitting on low sofas over carpets.

I complimented them on their beautiful tent and what a great eye someone must have had to design it the way that they did - and in that particular spot. They said that they were having a gathering of friends for one of their birthdays.  They had decorated the tent themselves.  As we chatted, more young Kuwaitis came up in cars that slowly started to arrive, and they invited me to stay.  (Mike would have made quick waste of it all, so I declined and continued our walk.)

But I thought to myself, what a great thing to do for a friend.  What wonderful people they must be and how kind they were to invite a stranger to sit with them.  I found myself wishing for friends like that; the kind that would just call me to meet and gather somewhere on a beach or in the desert.  No OTT gifts or entertainment; just being together in a beautifully thought-out setting.

I always say that I believe that God sends you messages - especially when you need them.  There they were - on the beach in a pink tent under a semi-full moon.  Just letting me know that there are a lot of good people out there who care about others.  Even when you don't always see them; they're there.