This one is old but so endearing. I remember the moment like it was yesterday. Funny how it all pertains to the same thing: The power of the Heart The Heart Serum Did you ever see that episode of Gilligan’s Island where all the castaways discover this serum that enables them to read each other’s thoughts? Of course the serum completely disrupted the order of things on that tiny little island. I mean, imagine if every little smart arse remark you held so tightly on the tip of your tongue were allowed to come flying out of your mouth at record speed, no holds barred. It would be disastrous. But what if we had a heart serum, something that let everyone know how much you cared, or loved them, or respected and liked them without getting lost in translation? Without having to travel from your heart through your childhood programming of how to express it, then through the other person’s childhood programing of how to receive it only to land on the table somewhere between “ what is this?” and “what do you want from me?” Simple, pure, honest communication. I actually experienced that a few years ago. And in my house, where hormones were a flyin’, along with eyes rolling and comments being muttered under the breath, it was a welcome respite. I was out surfing with my then husband, Sam, and my 12 year old daughter, Sienna. Sienna was on the front of Sam’s board catching some tandem waves. As I was paddling back out I watched them catch this beautiful, long wave and ride it all the way to shore. As I continued paddling I looked up and there, sitting on the inside line up with his student was none other than John Philban, an actor I worked with on the surf cult classic movie “North Shore” in 1986. He played a character named Turtle. I played Kiani. “John! How the heck are you?” I shout. But he doesn’t say “hi.” He doesn’t ask how I am. He just looks at me curiously and says, “Do you have a daughter?” “Yes” I reply, “ she’s tandem surfing with Sam right over there.” He slaps the water, laughing, “I thought so! We saw this beautiful little girl on the front of that board and my student commented, ‘Hey, that looks like Kiani from The North Shore.’ But I told him she was a little too young.” I turned and caught a wave. As I kicked out Sienna and Sam were paddling past me. I shouted out to her, “Sienna, one of the guys in the line up saw you gliding across the water and thought you were Kiani from North Shore.” She looked up from the deck of Sam’s board and smiled. In that one little smile I knew she loved me, she liked me, she was proud that I was her mom. Instant heart serum. And for a moment everything in the world made sense.