To water's it may concern,

Before I left for college my Dad told me that the first thing I was going to notice is that there's no ocean. In the moment I laughed it off, of course there isn't an ocean in northern Mississippi, but I never thought of how hard it would hit me of your absence.

For my entire life I've lived in a small seaside town, where my house was about a four-minute walk from one of our six beaches, and being a beach lifeguard was a coveted position.

I never considered being away from the ocean when I was applying to schools the majority being northeastern schools where the proximity to the water was just an after thought, but I ended up in the beautiful city of Oxford, Mississippi. Don't get me wrong I don't think there's any school quite as beautiful as Ole Miss, but the closest beach is almost a six-hour drive. A lot different than the four-minute walk I'm used to.

My distance from the ocean puts it into perspective just how far away I am from home. It's funny that saying goodbye to you was a similar feeling to saying goodbye to my parents on move in day. I miss watching the sun sparkle over on you, your sweet cold relief on a hot august afternoon, and strangely enough the salty scent you left in my hair after I left you for the day.

But at night, right before I fall asleep I can almost feel waves crashing over my body, and I know that no matter where I go, the ocean will always be with me.

See you in November,

Ceara O'Neill