In My Way...Charm: Sunglasses on...hat pulled down low :)

10 days ago... i was aboard floating hotel in the middle of the warm waters of the Indian Ocean...

Sitting on a low wall surrounding the children's pool.... i kept a thoroughly mesmerized watch over my youngest's pool antics...

It was truly surreal...

under the bluest of skies...dazzled by the brilliant white of the ship...the salty pool water sloshing about [thanks to the pitching and rolling of our ship] was the kind of aqua...that convinces one that nothing else matters but a swim...

the wind was with us [she always is on a ship] but she was friendly... and all around were the sights and sounds of Summer at her best :)

As i soaked up the sunshine [happy to be sitting doing nothing...my book laying lifeless in my lap...] i began 'people watching'...

I followed an 'epic' battle between 2 boys [naturally!...lol] who had chosen our lovely pool as their arena...this was great fun ! because kids just are ! and because things did not really escalate into that ugly 'physical dimension' that some boys like to visit...it was all so captivating that i actually took some shots...[something i shy away from normally...taking pictures of others children...] the things that stood out here for me was...1) where were their mothers...? and 2) that Bradley was also 'watching' this production with great enjoyment...just as i was...lol... u ONLY ever get 2 kinds of people in the world...in this case it's the 'doers' and the 'watchers' no prizes for guessing which kind my littlest son and i are :)

Sitting behind me on deckchairs [that saw no shade no matter what the time of day]

I also watched a woman and her child of about 3 or 4 years...talking...laughing...playing...

sitting a while and then 'going in' to cool off ...they unknowingly shared the pool with my Bradley..the mom enjoyed a lighthearted splashing session in the kiddies pool...i enjoyed them too...

Their swim over they exited the pool returning to the sun-drenched brown deckchairs behind me and to my right...i hardly had to turn to observe the mom...as she picked up a bright orange towel...

she began to dry off her child...

and like a lightning bolt out of the blue an image came simply and beautifully to me...

with each gentle albeit purpose filled stroke of that towel...

she reminded me of a lioness... licking her cub....and i acknowledged [again]...

ALL mothers whether animal or human...across the color and economic divide - we are all the same...

lovingly tending to our cubs needs...

Sitting there as i was...feeling alive and blessed...and open...

i was moved...