Last week we had a chance to go the ocean for a new days, it was an amazing gift during this hot spell. We walked the beach, read, dreamed and just enjoyed the sound of the ocean waves. I loved watching the birds, each one different in his approach to find food, different in the ways they flew, landed, and held on to their treasure. The pelican, beautiful and almost pre historic with the way they fly over the water, the majestic wide wings almost hitting the water, dipping down with their bills, filling their Gullah pouch and hoping they caught enough fish for a meal. In the water they are awkward, but flying they are a sight to see. Then there is the Cormorant, long graceful necks, and when they dive for the fish they are spectacular, but when flying, they seem odd and unorganized. They love being together in groups and when they try to sit on the same tree, it is almost funny to watch them land. And then there is the seagull, who eats about anything, can poop bigger than it seems possible for the size of the bird, and pecks at a variety of things. Looking carefully at them, they are quite a sight to see and such fast learners who will find a way to get to your food. And then there are the amazing sandpipers, their long legs running at record speed towards the water to get a morsel of food, and then when the waves crash run back… a beautiful play of motion, always busy, always looking, always aware of their surroundings.

Watching them all, each unique, each amazing in their own way, reminded me of the phrase “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by how well it can climb a tree, it will always think it is stupid.”
We are surrounded by amazing people, some fit well into our description of ‘smart’ while with others we might have to look a little closer, watch them, see their giftedness and realize that they too are a genius.
Every day I get to be with people who amaze me, who can do things that I could never envision, can dream about stuff that is out of my realm of dreams, can accomplish things that are beyond my imagination. People who are mislabeled by society yet have these amazing gifts.

Maybe we need to start letting people be geniuses in their own way, maybe we are the ones who need to discover their amazing gifts and let them shine.