The Story of My Ocean Home: Memories and Sentiments

Have you ever felt home somewhere? A place where you feel safe, and can be yourself without anyone judging you. The ocean is that place for me, it’s my home. The majority of people you ask will say that the beach their favorite vacation destinations. But to me it’s more than that, it’s something I can never get tired of. It’s a view that never gets old.

I was born and raised in San Diego, California. My family used to be convince I was a little mermaid because I would always get so excited going in the water cold or warm, didn’t matter to me. I felt like a little kid waiting for Santa Claus to come Christmas morning. Being under water in the ocean is one of the greatest things you can experience. Just simply under the blue water, the sound becomes so quiet almost as if the ears are stuffed with cotton balls. As the world above the water starts to fade deeper, another beautiful and mysterious world starts to come into view in the blue water.

My beach house in San Diego is the perfect shade of baby blue that reminds me of the sky. You can hear the sound of waves coming on shore and can smell the fresh salty hair when walking out. During the day, you often see the sea eagles flying over the patio deck looking for their next meal. It’s only 100m away from Mission beach, where my family can still watch us kids play from the house. Lastly, the best part of this house is the unforgettable view from the patio deck. Everyone time and worries in life slips away as they are star struck by the beauty of this location. My beach house in San Diego is a place that will always be special to my heart because of the countless memories spent there. I remember instead of picking up flowers, I used to pick up seashells for hours and bring back a full bag of them to add them to my collection in my room. If I ever got a sand dollar, it was like hitting jackpot. This place used to be where all my cousins would get together and be kids with no worry. It still is this place when we all get together every summer. It’s like we never left, nothing has changed. One of my favorite memories there, is catching my my first wave with my Cousin Trent. Just picture yourself riding a six footer, the water is splashing your face, you can taste the salt water breeze. Then... crash, you're down! This is the joy of surfing, one of the world's most adrenaline sports. I remember waking up super early that day to wax my board, and to get myself hyped up. I was so excited that my cousin was going to teach me how to surf. Maybe a little to excited. The weather report from that day called it was going to be five foot waves. It was going to be a good day to be out on the water. The first time I tried to even surf, I couldn't even sit on the surfboard correctly. The rest of the surfers in the water were laughing at me. I felt like the new girl in school. I thought once I got on, the rest would just come to me to me naturally, but boy, was I wrong. I became so frustrated and told myself I would not leave the beach until I got my first wave. Hours later passed by, still nothing. Balancing on that board to me was like walking on ice. Then finally, waves begin rolling through the water as I lay on my board paddling forward. I feel the force of the wave behind me as I shoot up to my feet, feeling the wax grip my feet. I was standing up on one. I shoot my arms in the air with so much excitement. My whole family was cheering me on at the surface. Surfing the breaking waves on Mission Beach gave me a feeling that I will never forget.

There’s no doubt that surfing can bring up fears in a lot of people. The thought of sharks, drowning, falling, cold water and failure. With this said, we don’t know more than 80% of our ocean. There is still so much undiscovered in our oceans today. This can be another fear, not knowing what’s under the water. Yet, taking those risks rewards in and out of the water. It makes you stronger as a person, and to live life with no fear.

I know that not everyone surfs, or likes the ocean. But, surfing can teach us lessons in life that we don’t even know. When you paddle out early in the morning excited to catch some waves the last thing you want to worry about is a strong rip current. While nobody enjoys them, they are a part of surfing, it's going to happen and you need to be prepared just in case you ever get stuck in one. My cousin use to say, “The tides are just like life, no one can predict what’s going to happen to them, just have to be ready for whatever life throws your way, whether it’s good or bad.” We can’t control everything that happens to us, but we can adjust and just go along with everything that comes our way.

To this day, I still surf and love what it has contributed to my life. It has made my cousin and I bond more. It also has made me appreciate nature more. Today, too many people are so self involved in there phones and electronics. We need to appreciate the simple things around us today.