Memories at the Beach

According to psychologists, the average adult has a brain capacity of about 2.5 million gigabytes. What that 2.5 million gigabytes is holding depends on the person. For all of us though, one thing remains constant. Everyone has memories, some good, some bad. How many memories do you think you could conjure up? It seems impossible to even begin because as students in college we have seen so much in our small amount of time on this Earth. We see so many things in our daily lives that become memories and we don’t even realize it. They may not be important or life-altering events, but they play a significant role in your day to the point where you’ll hold them in your memory. Now, these “memories” will probably last in your mind for less than a week, but think about the ones from years ago. As far back as you can remember. What is one memory that you hold in your mind, and cannot let go of? It can be as significant as seeing a sibling that was just born for the first time while in the hospital. It can also be a small memory that simply makes you smile, like walking down the sidewalk with a friend on a hot summer day. It could even be a memory about being in a car accident. Take this memory in your mind and create a vivid picture. What was the weather like? Who was there? Where were you? How did you feel? Think about all the important things to paint out the memory as you remember it. If you could go back in time to that very moment for five minutes only, would you? Could you? Memories can make you feel really good, but they can also make you feel quite the opposite.

If I could pick any memory to go back and time and relive, it would be seeing the ocean for the first time. The first time I got to experience saltwater getting in my eyes and burning my nostrils, I was about six years old. In June of 2011 my family and I traveled to Orlando, Florida to celebrate my birthday, along with my cousin who had his birthday the same month as me. The drive to the beach from the condo we rented was about an hour and a half away. The reason we were so far was because we visited a few Disney Parks. That was a great time, although it required lots of walking. Even the six year-old me was a little bit lazy. Our family thought that a nice relaxing day at the beach would do us all some good. I remember spending most of the drive waiting impatiently for the sight of the ocean. As someone from Wisconsin, I was used to the freshwater lakes that turned green in July from upstream farming. I had never seen the ocean, but how different could it have been?  Little six-year old me sitting packed in a van with her cousin, five, and sister, two, could not handle the rising anticipation. Thinking back on that trip now, I was probably one of the most annoying kids on the planet. Constantly asking if we were there yet, and probably creating hell on Earth for all six adults in the van.

When I was notified that we were almost to Cocoa Beach, I nearly burst out of my seat with excitement. I took my seatbelt off of my booster seat in the back of the van and stood up, only to be scolded by my grandmother who sat in the back with us kids. I promptly sat back down while looking out the windows at the underwhelming views of buildings passing by. After some time, the van was parked in a somewhat empty parking lot. An old looking playset along with some picnic tables sat not far from where the van sat. I was confused as to where we were because I saw no sand, and I definitely saw no ocean. Out of curiosity I asked what we were doing here. My dad told me we were at the beach of course. Now I may have been six, but I wasn’t stupid. I know what a beach was supposed to look like and this most certainly wasn’t it. My mom told me I needed to have a bit of patience as if I hadn’t known that already. Apparently we were going to have a nice picnic lunch before we headed to the beach. My dad and uncle both moved two picnic tables together and we set up shop for a sandwich creating station. Thank goodness for the covered picnic space, because if I were in the sun my sandwich would become a grilled turkey-and-cheese in a matter of minutes.

My cousin and I nearly inhaled our food, and you’d think we hadn’t eaten in days. We made our way to the nearby playset to let out some pent up energy from the ride over. Still impatient as ever, I kept glancing around trying to make sense of how this could possibly be the right spot? At some point, I wandered a bit further away and found a small tree. It wasn’t very tall, but it had lots of branches that spread out. There were plenty of places that I could see that were perfect for climbing. I quickly analyzed my plan of attack and made my way to the top.  That’s when I heard it. A continuous, rolling rumble. It sounded like a storm was brewing. I looked up through the canopy of the tree thinking there would be angry-looking clouds heading our way. I paused when my eyes met the clear blue sky. I was confused because surely I had just heard thunder? Right? I kept glancing everywhere trying to find the source of the thunderous noise, but to no avail, there was nothing that I could see making the noises. After making my way down and out of the tree, I ran to my family to ask if they heard the thunder. They all gave amused glances at each other before my grandpa told me what it was. He told me it was the ocean? Surely it wasn’t the water! The lakes back home didn’t sound like that, so I didn’t believe him. Not long after, all of the food from lunch had been put back into coolers and away in the van. My grandma grabbed the bag we took to the beaches back home, full of toys to play with in the sand. My mother had a bag full of towels and water. As a group, we made our way to a wooden planked path. I asked my family where this would take us because it looked a lot like the dock at our cabin. My aunt told me that it would take us right to the beach. Still not convinced, I looked at my dad who was carrying my sister who just shrugged. At the front of the group with my cousin, we followed the path that led us through a line of trees and large bushes.

As we moved along, the sound only got louder and my excitement started to grow. After a turn around a corner, that’s when I saw it. It seemed like a vast expanse of nothingness, like the sky went on forever. As I got closer, I saw that it was water. The water rolled up onto shore before crashing onto the sand. That’s when I realized that the sound from before was the water. The thunderous roar was the ocean. I turned to my cousin and smiled at him before we took off our sandals and ran through the sand to the water. The only thing we could hear was the laughter coming from us before stopping just as the water crashed onto the sand. We simply got our feet wet at first, but not long after our family set their things down and we went to take off our clothes that covered our swimsuits. We were promptly stopped for some “quick” pictures and sunscreen. Begrudgingly, we agreed and posed for a picture before making our way to the water again. We both cautiously got into the water before falling into a fit of laughter. We splashed each other without a care in the world, that was until we realized that the ocean did not taste very good. Our laughter was cut short by our faces contorting in disgust at the taste of the saltwater. After learning our lesson to not drink or look at the water too closely, we got some goggles and swam a bit deeper into the water, so a few extra yards before we were stopped by our parents. After acting like a couple of midwestern guppies for a while, we decided to get out of the water and make a sandcastle. Not understanding the concept of the tide, we quickly realized that the castle would have to be made much further away from the water. We stayed at that beach for hours, playing in the sand and rinsing off in the ocean. All that could be heard that day was the crashing of waves, laughter all over the beach, and the seagulls who weren’t afraid to get up close and personal. One moment that I can remember to this day was the breeze. I remember taking a minute on the beach just staring out at the water and closing my eyes. I felt the breeze glide across my skin and ever since, I long for that feeling every day. What I would give to go back in time and experience those happy moments for the first time again. The real question I should ask myself is about time. Would five minutes really suffice and allow me to truly experience the emotion of that day over again? I don’t think so. I don’t believe that any amount of time would truly make you feel the way you did in that moment, but if I ever got the chance to revisit that time in my life I would be extremely happy. That experience from over ten years ago has not only created an incredible memory, but an extreme love of the ocean.