The Florida withdrawals are so real right now. I would do anything to see the open ocean, walk along the beach, breath in the ocean air and to feel the sandy shores under my feet. It’s incredible how beautiful and endless the Atlantic Ocean is. Everything inside me longs to be back.
When my family visited Cocoa Beach, we were so blessed with an amazing night and weather. While the sun was setting, there was a stunning double rainbow over the ocean that could only be orchestrated by God himself. The pictures don’t even do it the slightest bit of justice; it was so beautiful, vast and wide. You just had to be there.
The Atlantic side of Florida is hard to put into words. The ocean is extremely intense, but in a calming sort of way. While the waves crash alongside the shore, they only get stronger as the day goes on. The water is so dark and ominous, but surfers relentlessly go out wave after wave hoping to catch one more. There’s something about just being there, in it’s presence.
This was probably the best Christmas Eve I’ve ever had. It was my family’s first holiday in Florida and I would take the ocean any Christmas over a morning full of presents and gifts. The ocean in itself is such a wonder, and the promise of its adventure is the best gift I could ever receive.
“Leave your worries by the shore line,
And run your bare feet through the sand,
Let the water be a soft bed,
When you cannot bear to stand,
Make friends with flying seagulls,
And hold the sun up on your palm.
Before you duck beneath the water,
Where the world is mute and calm,
Tell the fish all of your problems,
As they all come swimming past,
When your lungs are close to bursting,
Swim above the waves and gasp,
Let the water hold your sadness,
And wash it right out to the sea,
So like a message in a bottle,
All your worries are set free,
And the sea might make you feel alone,
But the world has troubles too,
For how else do you suppose,
That the ocean got so blue?”
-e.h
ashley j. chiappetta 