Bear Grylls Quote

The summer of 1999, we went on holiday to Spain to visit my cousin Penny, who runs a horse farm in Andalucia. It is a beautiful, wild part of the country.Shara would ride out early each day in the hilly pine forests and along the miles of huge, deserted Atlantic beaches. I was told I was too tall for the small Andalucian ponies.But I didn’t want to be deterred.Instead I ran alongside Shara and tried to keep up with the horse. (Good training, that one.)Eventually, on the Monday morning we were to leave, I took her down to the beach and persuaded her to come skinny-dipping with me. She agreed. (With some more eye-rolling.)As we started to get out after swimming for some time, I pulled her toward me, held her in my arms, and prepared to ask for her hand in marriage. I took a deep breath, steadied myself, and as I was about to open my mouth, a huge Atlantic roller pounded in, picked us both up, and rolled us like rag dolls along the beach.Laughing, I went for take two. She still had no idea what was coming.Finally, I got the words out. She didn’t believe me.She made me kneel on the sand (naked) and ask her again.She laughed--then burst into tears and said yes.(Ironically, on our return, Brian, Shara’s father, also burst into tears when I asked him for his blessing. For that one, though, I was dressed in a jacket, tie, and…board shorts.)I was unsure whether his were tears of joy or despair.What really mattered was that Shara and I were going to get married.