Waves were crashing upon the shore as the old man described his programming on how he started searching for sand dollars as a little boy when his grandpa first took him out. The local shell shop would pay them about 10 cents, sometimes more and sometimes less depending upon the size, for every sand dollar they found. It was just enough money to pay for the ice cream they stopped for on the way home.
I was walking along the beach in St. Petersburg, Florida, spending time visiting my own grandparents, when I saw this man handing out sand dollars to people as they passed. I was curious as to how he was able to find so many when, after spending two days doing my own searching, I was only able to find broken fragments. He told me to meet him at his not-so-secret secret spot at 9:00 am the next morning and he would be happy to share all his insider tips. I made the trek there the next day and was in awe of how easily he was able to add to his collection and found out searching for sand dollars was a fantastic metaphor for planning new programming.
There’s a method to the time and place to find sand dollars. The best time to search is the morning, during low tide. Receding waves clear the way to see the little white circles of happiness and luck. Additionally, his secret spot had two different current patterns allowing for a more clear view of the bottom.
There are many times when planning new programming that the politics of a situation don’t always allow for simple implementation. It helps to be cognizant of the tides and currents of the institution and department that we are able to make the strides that we want, at the right time.
For someone who struggles with patience, it turned out to be a great lesson for me in both searching and planning. With waves coming in and going out, sand and other shell particles are kicked up making it difficult to see the bottom of the water. At just the right moment, however, when the receding waves hit the incoming waves at the perfect time, it gives you precious seconds to scan the floor and find your treasure.
When planning new programming, it can be a big thrill to get them out to the students in whatever imperfect form they may be. It can be hugely beneficial to take a step back and make sure we can see the entire floor and the program is as planned and thought out as it needs to be for success. Rushing into it can cause a cold arm reaching into the frigid water for nothing but a handful of sand.
With the handful of sand dollars that we found, we walked along the beach handing them out to the people that we passed. As I watched the infectious smiles spread, it reminded me to use my skills to help spread joy to those that we program.
