Drifters vs Sifters

Wow!  Has it really been 6 weeks since I posted? This one has been brewing for a couple of weeks.

I was in Florida visiting the parents after the Disney Princess Half Marathon and I went to the beach with my mom.  We did a quick walk about 3 miles down the beach and I found a few few teeth accidentally- I can't help it!  Once you get the tooth eye, you can't miss them!  And you can't stop looking.  Even when I was trying to enjoy the Gulf, I still kept checking out the ground to make sure there were no teeth waiting to be picked up.  Right where we walked onto the beach from the parking lot there, were tons of people.  But about 10 minutes down the beach, there were few people.  Hmmmm.......

On the way back, we stopped a lot to look down for teeth. I kept my eyes more focused on the ground most of the time as well.  Every now and then there was a promising pile of stuff and I'd stop and bend down and look seriously and find 1 to 3 teeth.  We spent about an hour walking down and about 2 hrs walking back.  That's 6-7 miles of exercise!  

Then I started watching the other people on the beach.  There were a few walkers and a few fisherman.  There were lots of people who had these poles with baskets attached and they were out in the water scooping up stuff and sifting through it.  Not sure how many teeth they find that way, but it looks really boring!

So I got to thinking- some tooth hunters are sifters and some tooth hunters are drifters.  I wonder if the way they look for teeth translates into the way they live their lives?  There is no possible way I could stand in one spot for hours sifting through stuff to find teeth.  But apparently I can walk for hours and do the same thing.  I like the adventure and the thrill of finding out what is around the next corner.  I like getting away from the crowds near the stairs and finding the less traveled beach.  I can't tell you how many times I have run or biked too far because I wanted to see what was around the next corner!  I'm  a drifter.

Then there are the sifters.  They spend their lives in one spot, not daring to challenge themselves and try something new.  Content to stay in one spot, they get to know that area very well.  They never think to leave. They are comfortable.  They don't get bored.  In fact, the thought of walking 7 miles for 38 teeth probably really turns them off.  I wonder if they find more in the one spot?  Or if they care?  Or if they get tired of the scenery?  I wonder if they want to leave and go somewhere else but are nervous about the change.  They are the solid rocks of a community.  They have been there their whole lives and are the experts on their corner of the world.  We really need them.  But I can't be one of them.

I'm a drifter.