The Greatest Gift | #PlanetOrPlastic

The Greatest Gift

Daniel was turning five, and as a father, I decided to show to him the best gift I can ever give.

It was Sunday morning. The heat wasn't stinging and the wind wasn't too strong. It was a perfect weather for a trip to the beach. I checked if we packed everything we needed and made sure our boy was ready for his first road trip.

"Dad, is it all true what Mom said? There's gonna be lots of fishes, starfish, turtles, and oh, crabs!" He kept mentioning everything he saw in television as I drove toward our destination.

My wife laughed and said, "Yes, Daniel. Remember that clownfish you saw last night on NatGeo? We'll see them today."

"Oh!" He exclaimed while bouncing at the back seat.

Several songs later, we finally arrived. Of course, the kid ran like dogs were chasing him. He repeatedly shouted, "It's amazing!"

"Go," my wife told me. "I'll unpack our things. Take care of him and have fun."

After seeing her face of assurance, I ran after my boy. For that moment, I felt like a kid again. I remembered my dad running after me like what I was doing right then. It was nostalgic.

"Dad, look a starfish!" He pointed at the blue star-shaped animal lying flat on the sand. I picked it up and it startled him. Filled with curiosity, he asked, "Doesn't it hurt?" I took his palm and handed him the tiny friend. "This starfish is your friend. It won't hurt you." Those were the words my father told me when I cried holding the starfish in my palm.

We walked more and soaked our bare feet in murky water. I looked down and felt a bit saddened. It was clearer back then. Kids wouldn't easily appreciate the beauty below just by looking at the surface. At that moment, Daniel came back to me with a new creature. "Dad, is this fish sick?" I looked at him heavy-heartedly. "Daniel, that's not a fish," I said as I knelt before him. "Those things aren't supposed to be here." I grabbed the object and continued, "Let's return it to its proper place. Okay?"

The boy gave me a perplexed face then he smiled and said, " Okay, Dad. I found more. I'll get them and we'll bring them to their home." He ran back gleefully and picked up more crushed plastics dragged by the waves to the shore.

It made me reflect on life. What have we done? Thirty years ago, seeing those friendly sea creatures was the greatest gift I ever had for my birthday. I wasn't so sure if I can still give him that gift. I shook off my thoughts and came back to my senses. "No," I told myself. "There's hope. These kids deserve the chance to see Earth's greatest gift."

I promise. I quietly said as I stared at my boy bringing me more plastic. "Thank you," I told him and hugged him dearly.