The Cocoa Cup (Central Florida)

One morning in Central Florida, the Best family switched on the TV to check the weather for the day ahead. A nice man with a fancy, orange tie was giving the weather report. He announced this would be the nicest day of the week. That’s when mom’s ears perked up. She was excited to spend a day outside in nature, so they decided this was it!  And they went to the beach.

Cocoa Beach is sixty miles due east of Orlando. It sits on Florida’s east coast near Cape Canaveral (where space shuttles are launched into orbit). For this reason, some people call this area of Florida the Space Coast.

Frederick, Edith, and Hugo squeezed into the backseat of the red Mazda they were renting for the week. They drove under the resort’s palm tree canopy, past the orange groves and onto a one lane, rural highway surrounded by happy, green trees. 

They turned up the music and sang along to “One Wild Life” by Gungor, as the sun pierced through the clouds with confidence and hope. The view down the oddly straight road was glorious. It was Sunday morning, and the drive to Cocoa Beach filled their souls with joy, as if they were singing in church.

They began the day at Lori Wilson Park, a public access point to Cocoa Beach, where the kids faced their first challenge. 

Frederick was so excited for the beach that he didn’t want to wait in line (it was pretty long) to use the change rooms provided, so his dad suggested changing in the open while he blocked everyone’s view with a towel. A frightened look came on over Frederick’s face. This was a pretty busy beach, so putting on his swimsuit in the open air didn’t seem safe, but his Dad assured him he would block everyone from seeing, and that he too would look away. Frederick took a deep breath and went for it. 

Between a section of oceanside bushes and a shark-print towel, Frederick got dressed and was ready in record time. He met the challenge.

“That was easy!” Frederick exclaimed, as he raced past his siblings who were waiting in line with their mother. Down the boardwalk he went, out to the Atlantic Ocean. It was the the first act of bravery at 

Cocoa Beach that day.

Once they were all out on the sand together, the sun perked up and everyone was happy to be outside. After getting the ocean swimming safety lesson from dad, Frederick and Edith ran straight toward the water, and began to splash and swim. Being from Michigan, the Best kids were used to the freshwater of the Great Lakes. In fact, this was the first time they ever swam in salt water. When their parents explained the difference, they encouraged the kids to taste the water, but not to drink it. The older two kids tried it and immediately spit it out. It was Hugo’s turn to give it a shot, but he was scared after seeing Frederick’s and Edith’s reactions. 

“You got this, buddy!” they cheered.

Mustering the courage, he scooped water into his hand and touched his tongue to it. He immediately squinted his eyes and squished up his face. Then, he started laughing, and the others joined. It was the second act of bravery at Cocoa Beach that day.   

After they swam, played in the sand, collected seashells, relaxed in the sun and gathered their towels, the Best family headed down the beach to a restaurant with a beachside patio. It had a chill vibe, tiki decorations, and a statue of a pirate! The kids ordered hot dogs and chicken strips, their mom ordered a salad, but their dad wanted seafood.

“We’re at the ocean! I’ve gotta have seafood!” he insisted. So, he ordered a platter of fried calamari, which is another word for squid. 

When the dish arrived, dad took a piece of calamari and dipped it in the marinara sauce they were served with. 

“Yum! These are good!” he proclaimed.

Then their dad asked around the table if anyone wanted to try some calamari. Mom agreed, but Frederick shook his head. Hugo said, “No thanks!” and at first, Edith also declined.

“Are you sure?” asked her dad.

Edith looked around the table, and decided to seize her moment. “Okay, I’ll try it.” she said.

Edith grabbed a piece of fried calamari, dipped it in the red sauce and took a big bite. 

“Not bad!” admitted Edith.

This incredible decision was the third act of bravery on Cocoa Beach that day. Each was a contender for the Cocoa Cup, but Edith walked away with the prize. Unfortunately, the prize was just a pat on the back from her family. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was a lot of fun!