Last weekend I was asked by Karla to join her ladies’ small group on a trip for the long weekend. Saturday morning the seven of us headed to the beach. We ranged in age from late twenties to early sixties. Some of us rented chairs and others laid on the sand. We cranked up the Eagles Pandora station and enjoyed the sun.

Karla and I coughed occasionally, and while she worried her allergies were starting to act up, I was concerned I was getting the upper respiratory infection I get every fall.  When our bodies had toasted nicely in the sun, we headed down to the water. As we walked in, we found it was difficult to breathe. Jumping into the cool waves, our eyes began to burn immediately as did our noses. The water tasted awful. But despite of the toxic air we had a blast floating and around swimming.

That evening we went to eat at Runaway Island. We sat on the deck eating seafood watching the sun set over the ocean and listening to the live music. After we went back to the condo and played one of my favorite games, “Imagine If…” We laughed until it hurt.

Karla knows I love to research things, so she wasn’t surprised that curiosity got the best of me. Earlier that day we heard someone say something about the Red Tide, but my comment was, “I can’t look it up until we are done at the beach. I am afraid I won’t get in if I do.”

The next morning about 6:30 am I went for a walk on the beach. As I walked and listened to my praise music, I noticed the dead eel and several deceased fish. About 20 minutes into my walk, I began coughing thinking that I might have to go back because I had no water. Thankfully, I was able to continue and enjoy an hour and a half walk.

Day 2

The seven of us spent another day on the beach. As we walked into the water, it was as if you were breathing in hot vapor. We could feel a heavy sensation coat our lungs. Our eyes burned like fire!  We laughed when the young boy ran out of the water, up to his parents, yelling, “I’m going blind.” But we certainly understood his thoughts. Karla had to flush her eyes out with her water bottle the day before. Our noses felt like they were searing on the inside. As we lay on the chair at one point I began laughing to myself. Karla, who was dozing, woke up and said, “What’s are you laughing at?”

“Listen.” As she held her head up and looked around, she heard and saw it. “Oh my gosh! This is crazy! People are coughing everywhere!” People in the water, on chairs, in the sand–coughing until they could catch their breath.

As we headed back to the condo, even people sitting on their balconies were coughing. “This is like something in a Stephen King story….The Red Tide.”

That evening, three of the younger girls went crabbing. They came back talking about how they had to walk with their noses under the neck of their shirts because of the smell that was comparable to sewage! One even moistened a Q-tip and cleaned out her nose, so it would stop burning.

A Phenomenon

On the trip back home, I researched it. The Red Tide is a phenomenon that occurs when a species of algae blooms out of control and puts off toxins. “The toxins get up in the air and if you go down to the beach, you’re breathing it in. It’s a neurotoxin. It’s like a tear gas.” (USA today)

A hurricane was heading toward Panama City beach, I wondered if it would make the Red Tide better by washing it away or make it worse because it would come ashore. I researched that and found out it could go either way. I thought of how life can be like this Red Tide scenario.

Sometimes when we are dealing with a difficult situation, we carry on with life, laugh and have a good time. Yet we are burning on the inside. At some point the burden is more than we can bear and we want to go running and screaming, like the little boy. And then comes the storm. Life seems to fall apart. It may be a storm as devastating as Hurricane Michael, and it tears apart not only us, but those around us. What happens then is up to us.

Like the Red Tide, our reactions can go either way. We can stand, look at the destruction, and continue to let the storms in life bring us down, burning and irritating us. On the other hand, we can let wash away and make a choice to move forward. Yes, life’s storms can cause damage, and there will be repairs that need to be made. But just like the people in the gulf area, they will rebuild, and given a time for healing, they will flourish. Will things ever be the same as before? No. But sometimes we just have to accept change. Let the past wash away, and with God’s help welcome the new.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”