The sweet smell of the water. The feeling of sand clumping in between the soles of my feet and my flip flops. The pulsing of the water going back and forth like a seesaw. The ocean feels like a nostalgic memory. 

Every year my family and I go to Florida, walking alongside the ocean always gives me the same warmth and fondness. It seems like just yesterday I was here, collecting shells and making sand castles with my sisters at a young age. 

The ocean gives me peace. I can tell the ocean my deepest secrets, and it will keep them till the end of time. The ocean feels like a pinky promise, giving me hope with what's to come. I often wonder what the ocean thinks about me. Does it remember me every year I come? The ocean reminds me of everything I'm grateful for. It makes me reflect on where I'm at in life, how far I've come, and what I'm surrounded with. 

When I think of this beach, I don't think about a perfect sunny day with the clearest of water. I think of a windy day, causing me to steal my moms sweater. I think about the bitter smell of salt filling my nose. It may not look perfect to others, but it's perfect to me. All the memories with my family, running back and forth down the shoreline. The bottoms of my sweatpants are coated with water. The chaotic but humorous efforts of trying to dodge the siphonophores, the beautiful but dangerous blue bubble creatures in the sand.