The ocean

What is it about the ocean that captivates people? All you see is endless water which makes you feel small and insignificant, which isn’t something many people deal well with.
I grew up inland, never seeing a body of water much larger than a lake. Always thought it was nice, but never had any particular fascination with living near water. Even after visiting both coasts and wetting my feet in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, I never really thought much about the ocean.
But now, after living here for a few years, with the beach and ocean only a few minutes away and marsh in my back yard almost, I don’t think I’d want to live inland again. I don’t own a boat (nor do I really want to), and I don’t surf or do any ocean related activities. I’m not sure what it is I like so much about the ocean. There’s something about looking out onto the ocean and feeling the ocean breeze that just utterly captivates you. The waves come in onto the shore in a hypnotic rhythm, drawing my thoughts further out onto the water. And when I look closer, I see the sea birds gliding on the breeze, shore birds hopping around poking about in the sand for a morsel, or maybe a small crab scurrying about trying to avoid the birds. There are people surfing on the water, others wading in the water close to the beach, or lying on the sand. Looking even closer, there are shells, sometimes jelly fish remains being picked over by the occasional bird, or the broken shell of a small crab. Sand packed hard by the water gives way to softer drier sand. Even closer, are the tiny grains of sand rushing up and down the beach, pushed by the waves. Windblown grains of sand drift over the beach and cover my feet.
All this and more for anyone to discover. Maybe that’s why I don’t want to leave.