Birds sing to each other as they search for breakfast. Seagulls fly in circles above the water, swooping in every once in a while. The water gently hits the shore, the tide recedes with the moon.

The sun makes its way to rise above the sea and cast its glare, warming the water. The surface of the water is painted in pink, blue and yellow reflections of the clouds. A chem trail transitions to pink as the sun burns higher. It blinds my eyes, looking directly at it, but I cannot help it. It is breathtaking.

My toes play with the wet sand as my hands hold my hood around my face, swatting away pesky flies. Flies are the only downside to the beach in the summer.

Something about the air feels different in the morning — fresher, almost. The only thing I would change about this morning is to be in a vessel on the water, in the midst of the sea breeze and away from the homeless man taking a bird-bath in the lake a hundred or so yards down the beach.

I am more than blessed to be here in this moment with my love and a friend of ours. Having stayed up late enough, we decided to keep ourselves awake to see the sunrise and get breakfast afterwards. After watching the sunrise on the beach and a hearty breakfast of hash browns, pancakes, toast, fruit and bacon, my boyfriend and I dropped our friend off at home and we went hammocking by Lake Superior, at one of our favorite spots at Presque Isle in Marquette, Michigan, about a mile from my apartment.

The one-way road to get around the isle was still closed, so there were no cars driving by our spot, interrupting the birds’ calls to the sea. The sun, high in the sky now, warms my skin from the breeze. Kayaks or other boats disturb the still water occasionally, but only for a moment. The water so clear, I can see all the large stones close to the edge.

Today, there is nothing to worry about; my mind is at ease. Lately, it has been hard for me to truly live in the moment because anxiety gets in the way. I live in fear of worst possible scenarios and it is hard for me to enjoy the view. I see what is in front of me, but not truly feeling it, the experience out of my touch.

I realized there is more to life than my worries — so much more. There is splendor all around, just waiting for me to adore. There is too much in life to be happy about; it is a waste of time and energy dwelling on things that do not matter. Everything will be okay as long as we have days like these.

After dozing off for a while, I awake in my hammock. The breeze now chilly to my tired bones. We pack up the hammock and head back to my apartment, where we spend the rest of the day watching television and listening to music. With nothing tying us down today, we can take it easy. No exams or papers due, no place to be other than with each other.

You never know what can happen if you take a step back, breathe and accept whatever life has to offer for that day. Astonishing things can happen.