I never would have guessed, that one vacation could make such a big difference in the way I saw the world. Nevertheless, I finished packing my suitcase, knowing that in only a few hours I would be on an airplane, on my way to a Hawaiian Paradise. I couldn’t wait to jump into the cool ocean water and to feel the sun’s rays beating on my back.

We jumped off our plane and headed straight for the beach. After driving for what seemed like an eternity, I finally saw the sparkling white sand only a few feet from the tires of our rental car as we came to a stop. We all hopped out of the car and put our snorkel gear on as we walked to the edge of the shore. I walked into the cool ocean water and it slowly crept higher and higher up my legs, until it was up to my waist. Then, I bent over until my mask touched the face of the water and I kicked my fins behind me. When I looked down into the ocean water all I could see was a dark cloud of wet sand that had been kicked up from the bottom. I pulled my feet down trying to stand again, but not even the tips of my fins could find the solid ground that lied beneath the dark depths of the ocean. It was like the ground had disappeared from under me. I yanked my head out of the water and I began to swim towards the beach until finally I could place my feet securely on the ground. I ripped off my fins and ran out of the water and onto the beach wear I planned to stay for the rest of the trip.

My family went snorkeling again two days later while I sat on the beach alone. I spent the lonesome time wishing I wasn’t too scared to go with them, but I knew that no matter how much I wanted to go, I wouldn’t be able to get over my fear. So there I sat, a beach warmer on a wadded up towel that was draped over the small rocks that covered the shoreline. I listened to the waves as they rumbled over the rocky shore and then returned to their home in the depths of the ocean. Finally, after hours of sitting on the same towel piled up on the same uncomfortable rocks, I watched as my family slowly staggered out of the water, with their snorkel gear slipping from the tight grasps of their arms.