I am thankful for the sand, for the sun, for the blue crashing waves. More importantly, I am thankful to live so close to beach access. At age two, I was taught that sand adds an extra crunch to what you eat, especially if it collects on a slice of watermelon. At seven I learned that sea glass was the most important souvenir one could have. At age thirteen I learned that the beach gave endless opportunities for friendships. At sixteen I learned that how tan I got, determined how successful my summer was. Now, at nineteen, I learned that the beach taught me some valuable lessons and I am thankful to have been raised near and "by" the ocean.
The waves taught me that there were always going to be things in our lives that knock us down. The taught me that sometimes we will end up on our bottoms, or our face. Sometimes we can see a wave coming in the distance, and we can prepare ourself for impact. Yet, many times, we are blindsided as we turn our backs to the water. I was standing in the ocean before I could walk fully on my own. With my hands in my dad's, I learned from an early age that waves are more forceful than we are. Life is kind of the same way. We get hit with trials and obstacles many times. Sometimes we can see a difficult time approaching, but other times, we are unable to prepare. We may be knocked down, but we stand back up.
The sand taught me that it's okay to get a little dirty. People have fun that way. get a little sand in your bathing suit, get some under your fingernails, in your shoes or even in your mouth. It's not going to hurt you and your bound to have more fun if you are not preoccupied with making sure you are staying clean.
The shells and sea glass taught me to always be on the look out because you will never know what you may find. For miles, the sand all looks the same but if you take some time to really look, you can find so much more.
The rainy beach days taught me that there is beauty in everything, and usually with a rainy beach day comes a beautiful rainbow. In life, we are thrown into some rainy days but things always turn around and positivity can be brought out of every situation.
The sun taught me that sometimes, even something as bright as itself, can burn us. Throughout our lives, we meet people. Friendships change and relationship evolve. People who we assumed to be our friends can hurt us. But every sunburn heals and, in many cases, turns into a tan. We learn from betrayals and burns.
Ocean creatures taught me that the world is filled with variety. We live in a diverse world where uniqueness makes it great. When I was young, the thought of jellyfish and sharks were enough to keep me on the shore. I learned to not be afraid of something that didn't look just like me. You never know what you'll find: a beautiful starfish, a baby crab, or a cool new fish.
I am so thankful to have been raised by the ocean.
