Does living close to the ocean have to be a scary experience? It certainly sounds like it from all the stories we get told. I agree that nothing appeals to anyone who lives close to the shore more than the delight of telling stories and more specifically the delight in telling horrific stories of near miss, life and death situations. Yes, I have tasted some of these scary moments, but there is more to this. In fact the ocean is a peaceful place on the whole. I am happy to have known her. It has shaped and fed my life on how I view the world around me.

Most mornings I wake up to clouds. Every day, the sun never fails to rise and set. The tide never fails to come in and go out. The birds never fail to sing each morning. There are some things that will never change (for a few million years at least), which shouldn’t be surprising except that I didn’t realize how much life will go on without me. Of course nothing would stop just for me, but I remember sitting on my favorite rock a few weeks ago at the beach for the first time in a long while and thinking “It’s all still the same”. Although it was a little upsetting at first, I came to think of it as a reassuring thing that I can rely on at least some parts of my life to stay just like it was when I was a kid. I learned that the familiar sound, smell and feel of the beach means it will always be my home.

I can’t remember the first time I stepped foot into the sea, but from the first time I saw it until now, and every time in between, I have never grown tired of looking at the great blue sea melt into the horizon in the distance. I have never grown tired of watching the sunset or sunrise change the color of the sky, painting it all shades of pinks, purples, and oranges. I have felt soothed by the feeling of sand between my toes or the sound of the waves washing into the shore. All these images and feelings have stayed in my memory up to now. I have learned that Mother Nature is so beautiful.

For this reason, there’s nothing worse than spoiling all that because of pollution. In my eyes, pollution is laziness. Normally, I am a copious person and I wouldn’t think twice about letting people do what they want (as long as they’re not hurting anyone) but I’ve realized I am quite intolerant of this kind of behavior. If you can’t be bothered to throw away your rubbish in bins just a few meters away, then don’t ‘bother’ coming to the beach at all. And although I still think it looks beautiful, it is never the clear blue kind of sea you see in magazines. I have learned that if people weren’t so selfish, we would all be living in a much better world that would benefit everyone.

Another thing the beach has helped me do is get physically fit by running and cycling. When there is such a great and natural place to run every day, I wonder why anyone would go to the gym to breathe in that recycled air-con breeze. I know not everybody lives by the beach, but I think that getting outside is very important when growing up. I find the sea breeze quite healing, and perhaps that’s part of the reason why I almost never get sick.

There are rules of behavior, crafted over time and trained into us by the things that we experience. Growing up near, in, and on the ocean has given me a wonderful opportunity to learn by doing. I have grown physically and mentally strong because of these experiences. I can tell you, from my direct experience, that great satisfaction comes from putting your whole self into a task. 

The Ocean is a wonderful teacher. I have come to learn that the ocean is not always about tragedies and horrific experience. When I find myself in trouble in the ocean, I don’t try to fight it--I dance with it. Nature is beautiful.