There’s just something about it that I love. I wouldn’t be able to place it if I tried; it’s just the way it feels. I sniff the air in anticipation. I can smell it, even though we’re miles away, I can already smell the salt. I slouch a bit in my seat and look out the window, the car rhythmically humming and bouncing a bit as it hits little nicks in the road. “How long?” I ask my mom. She just sighs and grumbles out “not long.” I’ve grown accustomed to this reply. More little bounces as the car rumbles down the road. The sun is starting to peek out of the ever widening gaps in the trees more and more, so I slip on my shades. I’m growing antsy, constantly looking around, trying to spot things that will give away that we’re getting closer. So far I’ve seen a crow, a wayward balloon, and a license plate that said CATLUVR. I thought the last one was kind of weird but I’m not here to judge.
My brother is in the back seat. He fell asleep about two Taylor Swift cd’s ago. Now Ed Sheeran is playing and he doesn’t even know his favourite song is on. I look out the window again. There it is! There is the sign I’ve been waiting two Taylor swift cd’s and half an Ed Sheeran cd for! “LONGBEACH NEXT EXIT”.  I ferociously pat my mom’s arm in excitement, thinking this is definitely the best moment of my life. Thinking back on it I may have been over exaggerating, but when you’re locked in a car for a few hours with nothing but your thoughts and some fan fiction you’ve saved on your iPod, you start to have really exaggerated thoughts.
An entire beach town complete with endless traffic lights and overly shiny tourist shops later, we finally get to our destination. I take a deep breath, salty. Seagulls are everywhere; an entire flock of them are just mucking around in one particular area of the beach. Now that my brother has reentered the waking world, he decides it is a grand idea to run full force directly into the middle of their gathering and scare the ever living bejesus out of them. My mom and I think this is hilarious, but the seagull’s shrieks and banter prove otherwise for them.
I can feel the sand between my toes as a wiggle them. Slowly I start to bury my feet in the sand, and as my feet go deeper the sand gets colder. It’s a peculiar sensation that is curiously enjoyable. Not like the kind of enjoyment you get from eating ice cream or going fast in a car, it’s just… nice. I can hear the waves crashing, except I never understood why authors used crashing to describe the sound waves make. It’s much more calm than that, like a loud whoosh. I decide to unbury my feet and make my way toward the ocean. With each step my pace grows quicker, until ultimately I’m running toward the waves.
There’s something about it that I love, maybe it’s the smell of the air, the sound of the waves, the feeling of the sand… maybe I just love the way the sun kisses my skin. I’m in the water now. Whatever it is, there’s just something beautiful and innocent about the way the ocean makes me feel. The waves are getting higher. Maybe I just like how large it is, and no matter how far you look, all you see is water and sky. It’s simplistic and beautiful. Maybe I love it because the water is the same colour as my eyes. Maybe I love it because it’s easy to love. I have to jump now to stay above the water as it swells up and down around me. The ocean can kill you just as easily as it can rock you to sleep. It’s beautifully tragic, poetic as it is chaotic. And with that thought, I jumped one last time and let the waves carry me away.