Whenever I have the opportunity to describe my favorite place in the world, my answer forever is and will be the same, as it has been to go to the beach. And thinking back now, the ocean has been apart of my life since I was an infant, and growing up in New Jersey only gave me the best experiences of the beach that makes me feel so attached to this strange, magical place. And with summer 2016 coming to an end, I thought I would write down my thoughts in an open letter thanking the one place on earth that forever will be special to me.

Dear Beach,

First and foremost, thank you for being my favorite place in the world. As a young child you sparked my curiosity by showing me all the different types of shells, and sea creatures you washed up on shore for me to learn and play with. You were able to make some of my childhood dreams come true by letting my brothers and I make holes in the ground to hide and bury each other, or taking a looooonnnng time to create the perfect sandcastle, then taking the time to build a wall around it so you wouldn't ruin it with big waves. But you still wanted me coming back for more, because you are so full of mystery and life.

As an adult, you're nothing more than just a great therapeutic experience. I take advantage of the amazing feeling of sand in between your toes, and having that warm breeze that would have that salty smell with a side of sunscreen. And even though you're mostly used in the day, you're just as perfect at night for long walks, playing games, fishing, and maybe or maybe not skinny dipping once or twice. But no matter where you are in the world, whether if you're a beach in California, or all the way across the world in Thailand, you always have a killer sunrise, and sunset view, every time. With you, I've experienced a lot, and did a variety of things over the years that weren't always safe or smart, but providing me these experiences that I always learned from.

Beach, you are my happy place, you cure all my wounds from the saltwater, and make me feel tiny, humble, and inspired all at once. You haven't gone out of style, and are always there when I need you, and you don't even have to say a word. I still get ecstatic when I have the time to visit you, and being away from you for so long sometimes validates what I want in the future, to be near you. My ideal life would to live and raise my future family by the beach because time spent at the beach is never wasted.

Sincerely,

Your loving-beach bum