What to those sitting in lawn chairs and laying on towels at the beach might seem like the peaceful constant crash of waves, was for me an angry beast with one thing in mind, pulling me into the depths. 

My mom and I visit Florida annually to escape the gloomy weather of Ohio and to enjoy some sunshine. Of course, I felt ecstatic to hear that we would be going over Spring break. In the weeks leading up to vacation, I was bursting at the seams with anticipation for the tropical weather to come!

After arriving, we spent the first day shopping in small local stores looking at novelty gifts and trifles. The next day was beach day! The feeling of the pale yellow sand crunching beneath my feet is complemented by the smell of sunscreen and all of the different foods at the nearby pier. After getting a safety talk from my mom while she sprayed me with cold sunscreen, I ran towards the vast, seemingly never-ending ocean letting the cool waves engulf me. I slowly walked out until I couldn't stand, but when I attempted to swim back to safety, I kept getting dragged further and further out into the inescapable grasp of the sea, suddenly being hit with a wave of nausea after realizing what was happening to me. 

I had begun to panic; everything began to swirl. The entire world around me melted as I ran headfirst into a brick wall of fear. With my heart pounding, I flicked my eyes side to side looking for a way out, but all I saw was the dark blue water surrounding me. When an eleven-year-old child is confronted with his own mortality he thinks many things, I for one thought about all of the decisions I had made in my life, followed by “I should have paid more attention to my mom's safety talk. ” I attempted to keep my head up by trying to back float, thinking the swim lessons I had received a few years prior would kick in. Floating on your back works well in a calm pool, but in a swirling raging mess of waves and chaos, it's anything but calm. I continued to choke on large gulps of the salty water. After fighting for every last bit of air and battling the ocean's waves, I knew my defeat rapidly approached me. My mind began racing, clawing at any thought, any idea that could possibly save me, but I came up empty-handed. I began running out of energy quickly, feeling the fatigue set in, I started to feel myself sink, sink into the cold water below me.

My head went below the surface for a brief moment. I thought that was it, the end. I thought that nobody appeared to notice an eleven-year-old me bobbing in the water or anyone that did, decided to ignore me. Then suddenly, I felt a hand grab me and yank me back to reality, I was saved, somebody had noticed! I was extremely grateful for this complete stranger's act of kindness, but all I could manage to say was a simple “thanks.” 

As I began to get pulled back to the beach, I collected my thoughts and breathed a sigh of relief knowing that I was going to be ok. I realized how nice of a day it was, the sun was shining, partly cloudy, and I could hear seagulls squawking overhead. Besides the near tragedy, it was a nice day out. 

When I finally reached the soft sand, I was safe on solid ground at last! I got a few awkward glances, but besides that nobody seemed to notice what had almost happened to me. My mom on the other hand was a completely different story, she was having what I can only compare to a panic attack, she almost crushed my ribs from hugging me so tightly.

I wrapped myself in a towel and sat down, looking out at the ocean knowing I would never forget what happened that day and the way I felt in the water. I will always remember how grateful I felt being pulled out of the water by someone who had gone out of their way to help me. Overall, the experience gave me a more positive outlook on life, I realized how appreciative I felt and how wonderful it would be to let others feel the same.