Madison Kosh

UWRT- 1104- 033

Mrs. Thomas
My Second Home
I can genuinely say I enjoyed the process of writing this paper. I viewed this
narrative as more of a personal reflection of my thoughts and experiences
from my past 18 years at the beach. I was continuously reflecting
throughout this paper, thinking of my favorite memories and experiences
from the beach. Putting the personal feelings I have towards the beach into
an accurate combination of words, sentences and paragraphs was definitely
the most challenging part of writing this paper. Ive always known the beach
is the one thing that makes me happiest, but Ive never really had to explain
in such detail how, and why it makes me so happy. I am pleased with the
way my essay turned out because I think I have a very accurate, thorough
explanation of how I connect with the ocean and the ways it makes me feel.
This paper has helped me expand my passion for the ocean and make my
bond with Wrightsville Beach a little bit stronger.
As a little kid growing up, we all had fantasies of what we wanted to be
when we got older. Like becoming firefighters and veterinarians and builders.
On the playground in elementary school everyone would always play cops
and robbers, running around pretending to be a hero because they caught
the bad guy. Everyone would always ask me to play and to be a cop and save
the day, but I would casually just say no thanks. Instead, I preferred to play

in the sand box. There would be the occasional times where I would play and
catch the robber and throw them in jail, but while all of my friends had this
fascination with being a hero, I had a fascination with the sand. My teacher
would go around the classroom and ask everyone what they wanted to be
when they grew up. Everyone in the room always had confident answers, so
most of the time I would say something random so I didnt sit there silently
while everyone else called out what they wanted to be. I would make up a
random job like a doctor, or teacher, or movie star, because at the time, I
had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. Quite frankly I still dont
know. Theres only one thing Ive always known since I was growing up. No
matter what I did or who I became in life, all I knew is that I would be at the
beach.
Growing up in a beach town is the best thing that couldve ever
happened to me. It taught me how to value and cherish the things you have
while you still have them. Since I was little, I had this overwhelming crave for
the ocean. As I grew older, my crave became more and more intense. There
is something about how when I look out on to the horizon, the ocean
becomes a sanctuary for my mind. The way the water sparkles from the sun
on scorching summer days. Walking into the cool, revitalizing ocean after
relaxing in the intense summer heat. Experiences like these give me unique
and irreplaceable feelings that flush my emotions with gratitude and bliss;
experiences like these are what made me fall in love with the beach. This is
why Im captivated by the ocean.

Wrightsville Beach is the beach where I grew up. Thats where I would
go for anything. If I was angry, sad, stressed, even happy, I would go to my
special spot I have on the South end, sit there and let the ocean work its
magic on me. Besides hot summer days, my favorite time to go to the beach
was in early fall during sunsets. I would drive across the bridge over
Intracoastal Waterway to see people on peaceful evening boat rides and then
go to my spot about 15 minutes before sunset. I would walk barefoot out on
to the beach, lay down my purple and white mandala roundie, go walk with
my feet in the water and let the cool ocean breeze take me with it wherever
it went. When I was done with that I would go sit down on my roundie and
wait for the invigorating orange, pink and purple sunset while I listened to
my favorite alternative indie rock band, Alt-J. That was like medicine to me.
That was my cure for all things good, bad and evil. It would leave me feeling
peaceful and content with the world around me. I would leave after sunset
without a care in the world, feeling the most relaxed I could ever be.
Occasionally, on the way back I would stop by the Original Ice Cream Stand
and treat myself to a oversized cookies and cream with moose tracks waffle
cone. Those are times that will resonate in my mind forever.
Not only did growing up at the beach teach me to value things, it also
gave me the opportunity to learn new things I couldnt anywhere else, like
water sports. When I was in about sixth grade, my best friend Mychaela had
a boat and her dad would take us out on it all the time to go swim and hang
out on a near by island called Masonboro. That year for Christmas, her

parents bought her and her brother each their own wakeboards. I had never
wake boarded before but I had seen others do it and it was something that
seemed incredibly fun and caught my interest in learning. Around spring time
when the weather and ocean water got slightly warmer, Mychaelas dad took
us out for our first wakeboarding experiences. Mychaela went first, she
strapped her feet into the board, held on to the rope and waited for the
weight of the boat to pull her up on to her feet. Her first couple tries were
very unsuccessful, she wound up face planting, got frustrated and gave up.
Now it was my turn. I jumped off the boat into the very frigged, early spring
water. I strapped my feet up, held on to the rope and nervously waited for
the boat to pull me up. Boom. Face plant. I now understood why Mychaela
gave up so soon because it was infuriating to not be able to stand up and
continue to face plant. We called it quits and the day was done, but
Mychaelas dad continued to take us out because we were both so
determined to learn. After many unsuccessful days of attempting to stand
up, the right day finally came. One warm, spring Saturday, Mychaela and I
went out to Masonboro to wakeboard. I went first this time, I jumped in,
strapped up and held on to the rope. I felt the force of the boat starting pull
me up. It was my first attempt of the day so I was expecting nothing less
than to face plant. The force of the boat pulled me up, and astonishingly
enough, I balanced my weight between my feet and I stood up! I stood up
and heard the cheers from Mychaela and her dad off the boat. I was ecstatic.
I had finally stood up on the wakeboard after countless failed attempts.

Living at the beach not only gave me the experience to learn this new sport,
that I still continue to do and have greatly excelled in, but it also taught me
that when you are determined to learn a new sport or skill to never give up.
It taught me patients and from that day forward to never accept failure in
something you want to want to achieve.
Although my strong passion for the ocean began when I was young, it
has grown to a level I never thought it would reach. The opportunities the
beach given me, the invaluable things Ive learned and countless memories
Ive made there throughout the years is what has increased my levels love
and appreciation for the ocean. As children, we ever know what we truly
want and value in life until weve experienced things that we connect with on
a personal level. Well, the first time I ever went to the beach, that one
remarkable day many years ago, I immediately connected with the ocean.
From the moment I stepped on the sand, I was instantly intrigued with
everything about the atmosphere around me. That day I connected to the
ocean more than I had with anything else in my life up to that point. From
that day forward, my life was forever changed. I had made a friend, a lifelong friend that I could trust and tell all my secrets to. It made me feel like I
was at home. Like I belonged there. When Im in the ocean I feel like I can be
myself and be free from the harsh expectations of the outside world. The
ocean doesnt judge you, it doesnt criticize the person you are or the things
you like to do. And most importantly, the ocean will always be there for you.

From that day forward I learned I could never be as happy as I am at

the beach than anywhere else. The beach is what I connect to most. Every
experience Ive ever had at the beach, whether it was Wrightsville or the
beaches Ive been to in different countries, has influenced the person I am
today and will continue to shape the person I become in the future. My future
will be at the beach. I will wake up every morning in my nice, quaint home
with the company and comfort of my second home right outside my door. So
all those times in elementary school when I didnt know what I wanted to be
when I grew up but my classmates did, at least this whole time I knew where
I would be when I grew up.