The first time Xandra visited the ocean when she was old enough to remember was with her family on a family vacation was a moment that she often references as changing her perspective on life. They were at a beach in Maine, camping at Acadia National Park, and they had arrived late in the afternoon when the weather was foggy. Despite Xandra’s excitement and insistence, her father stalled and advised that it would be more memorable if they arose at dawn to go see the sunrise over the ocean. Acadia, afterall, is the eastern-most point in the United States. So, not only would she get to see the endless horizon for the first time, but she’d also get to see it before pretty much anyone else in the USA. She was still alternating between bouncing and sulking the rest of the evening, as children are prone to do, but eventually drifted off. When her father roused her and drove the family the short way to the coast, the sky was just starting to brighten and Xandra’s eyes kept growing wider and wider as the view materialized and the fog burned off. She felt so small and impressed by what she saw, that she was silent on their way back, until requesting fresh blueberries in their campfire pancakes. Since then, she has always strived to live within a few hours of the ocean (or a reasonably large body of water) to find those quiet, impressive moments.
Word count = 245
Word count = 245