I bring something different every time I come to the ocean. Sometimes I am weighed down by depression. Sometimes I am uneasy with anxiety. There is also the occasional peaceful time in life.

But every time the ocean is the same. The muffled roar of waves reminding me of what is constant in life.

My favorite time to come to the ocean is nighttime or early morning hours. When I am there to sit alone with the reflecting moon and stars and miles of sand without a soul around.

It is a continual practice of calming my spirit, the absolute feeling of being alone but never feeling lonely. I try my hardest to capture this feeling, to take back a semblance of this peace in my life.

The ocean and I relate. Like old friends. When it is just the two of us, I am reminded of how my emotions are always there, crashing to the surface. Meeting the boundaries of the shore, the waves of feeling know their limits.

I leave changed. The problems dragging me down somehow feel smaller. The worries don’t matter anymore. All my emotions know their place. Balance is restored.