The Magic of Sand

The Magic of Sand-

Recently we had the opportunity to watch creative people build sand castles.  We watched them build forms, fill those forms with sand and over a bit of time make magic out of sand.  Sand that only a few minutes before it was shoveled into buckets and poured into forms was rather nondescript.  Just sand.

Sand became the material for dreamers.  It allowed itself to change.  To become what the dreamer pictured in the mind.  Occasionally it would escape the forms only to be shoved and pushed back into the spot it had vacated.  Large mounds became mice and frogs.  Castles emerged.  Bridges and churches evolved.  Whatever the dreamer imagined became real.

The atmosphere was festive.  Spectators wandered up and down the line of creators and creations.  Everyone talked about their favorite.  Cameras and phones snapped pictures to show to those who were not in attendance.  Questions were asked of the workers.  What tools were they allowed to use?  How long before the tide washed the wonders away?  Did they mourn the devestation as they watched their creations destroyed?

It allowed itself to change.  My goodness.  What a lesson for us all.  If something as simple as sand has the ability to become a majestic castle, then what are the possibilities for the human race?  One grain of sand added to another grain of sand and another has the ability to become something wonderful.  We humans have the same ability.  We live on this planet together, and together we have the ability to become something majestic.  When we work toward a worthy goal that blesses the lives of others, we create something wonderful.  For that to happen, cooperation is necessary.

Ten people were allowed inside the designated area for creating a sand castle.  Only ten.  Those ten people knew their jobs.  They knew what had to be accomplished.  They understood their role in the creative process.  Each concentrated on their part.  With knives and turkey basters, they manipulated the sand.  It became paint in their hands.  Ten people working toward the same goal.  No arguing about whose part was the most important.  No bickering about needing help.  No fussing about being too tired to continue.  Only happy faces.  Faces concentrating.  Examining their work.  Changing when change was necessary.

And I thought that is how good gets accomplished.  One person shares a dream with another.  Then another learns and joins.  Soon the original dream is better because more people are involved.  Ideas are shared.  Questions are asked.   Everyone works toward the shared goal.  People with different backgrounds, different ideas, different experiences joining together because they know that together more can be accomplished.  Being part of a group that brightens the planet is joyful.

If one grain of sand has the power to become something much bigger by joining other grains of sand,  what does that say to us?  To those of us who have the ability to work together?  Who see situations everyday that need change?  Who have more than we need yet continue to strive for more?  Who fill our lives with good but possibly not the best?  What holds us back?  Do we need a form just like the sand to hold us together as we strive to make our space on this planet better?  Something beautiful?  Do we believe that our time has come and gone?  We all have to answer these and other questions for ourselves.  Is sand ever too old to become something changed?  Something different?

It is true.  Grains of sand do not change unless they are forced.  People are sometimes like that, too.  It is a simple thing to become complacent.  To be so satisfied with ourselves and our lives that we fail to see the obvious.  That we are but one grain of sand amid thousands.  As I walked among the large crowds of people watching the magic happen, I was so aware of how alike we all are.  People were talking together.  Holding the hands of children.  Laughing at shared stories.   Visiting with strangers.  And I thought how wonderful it was to see all the different nationalities together enjoying the day.

I walked away from the festivities with a full heart.   I felt hopeful for our world.  Hopeful that all of us living together on this planet have the ability to be changed.  To be transformed into something wonderful.  It all depends on the forms we allow to shape us.  And our ability to allow ourselves to become something new.