Chelsea Ottaviani- student choice finding solace in my environment

Instead of seeking solace atop a holy mountain, or trekking through the woods to find a clearing in the forest, I find comfort in sitting along the calm shores of the Chesapeake Bay. When I get into an argument with a family member or have simply had a rough day at school or work, I walk the fifty or so feet from my front porch over a sand dune and sit outstretched in the sand, staring at the deep green water. There is something so calming to me in watching the shallow waves break at the surface and then recede back into the Bay. The repetitive motion of the ripples crashing in and gliding back out match my slow and steady breaths, connecting me with my wild surroundings and letting me become one with the world. Though the tide flows in and out and the calm nature of the Bay is inevitably ephemeral due to changes in the weather and seasons, I know that when I need to find comfort and an escape from my troubles that the Bay will always welcome me to it’s shores. It is time like these where I understand how sacred nature can be to any wandering soul.