Member-only story
The Ocean
How I Decided It Deserved Its Own Story
I recently allowed myself one day to complain about my disability and the things that bother me about it. I wrote this story:
After I published that, I regretted not including the loss of the ability to walk on the beach and swim in the ocean. I gave a bit of consideration to adding it to the already published story. Then I realized that no, the ocean deserves its own piece. The loss is too big to be simply added to a list.
I enjoyed going to the beach since I was a young child. There are many great shore towns in New Jersey where I grew up. I had an aunt who had a house in Montauk at the far eastern end of Long Island where we spent time as kids.
I loved to simply walk in the sand. It was easy to cover great distances and take in the sights. The sand was also an ideal surface for practicing my gymnastic moves because it is soft.
Like many young girls, I worshipped the sun. It felt divine to soak it up until I felt like I was burning, then run into the water to cool down. I learned how to ride the…
