I submerge my feet in the warm blanket of Earth beneath me. A sigh of relief escapes my lips as I extend my limbs outward into the open, fresh air surrounding and consuming me. It is as if my lungs desire to expel the impurities of my soul through one deep, constant breath. The potent smell of salty waves and perched sea gulfs permeates my nostrils, and it is nostalgic of my past tranquility living by the beach as a child. When the turmoil of urban life becomes too unbearable, I retreat to the serenity of this organic setting. The crashing waves reverberate through my ear drums and pulse through my veins. My oasis, residing under the only illuminated sky for miles, never fails to evoke the most benevolent and simplistic qualities that are innate to me in this environment.

The public institutions society creates do not emphasize the simplistic beauty of nature, but idealize vapid scores which do not accurately measure the individual’s knowledge or creative potential. Society is like the ocean, consuming all that succumbs to its turbulence. The only means to evade this deleterious fate is to remain independent in your views and incredulous to conventional knowledge.

My two hours lying immobile, part of the tangible world, seemed to last for an eternity. The only indication that time had elapsed derived from the rising tide. My nerves were eased by the simplicity of true life, separate from the chaos evident in the jar which confined me to a limited perspective in my urban home. At my oasis, this jar was lifted and I could now lucidly see not just what was relevant to my every day schedule, but the significance of the ever-changing universe in which I was insignificant. My whole being was just a part of a larger picture, an almighty universe. Reflecting upon my inferences made, I noticed that it was time for me to return to the city before darkness devoured the sky. Before leaving, I took one last look over the melting horizon. I came to the realization that my oasis, my sanctuary, was my true home in the erratic world.