The simple joy

On Living: A wave crashes and I think about the war.

It’s February. We’re at the beach on the coast of South Carolina. It’s warm but not California warm. You fall asleep in my arms while your dad lays out the blankets in the sand.

An hour has passed and I haven’t stopped swaying, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. My lower back aches. The kind of ache you can’t get away from. I accept it like …