The Newport Beach Pier is a place my family and I go every year as a getaway from all the worries we have back home. The peaceful ocean view, the comforting fragrance being brought in by the cool ocean breeze, and the sounds of the rippling waves rolling and crashing on shore one after another that kindle an immersive feeling of tranquility.
I wake up to the sound of the waves crashing, pedestrians running on the boardwalk, bike bells ringing, the beautiful view of the over casted beach. As I walk out of my house, I see lines of shops and restaurants that seem like they go on forever until they dissipate into the fog. As I take my daily morning stroll to the pier, I always stop by my favorite bakery with beautiful, warm and cozy smells of coffee and pastries. I make my way towards the beginning of the pier, and I start my meditative amble. As I walk down the pier, I can hear the sounds of the wooden floorboards creaking under my feet. Each step is loud and definitive. Almost as if each step has its own purpose. I can hear the waves roaring and crashing underneath me. The further down I walk I begin to smell the salty sea air and feel the slightest breeze on my skin. The more I walk, I notice the sand and boardwalk leave my line of sight where I am left with the deep blue ocean and the cloudy sky. From time to time, I see a few boats on the horizon with bright white lights and slow blinking red lights. When I reach the end, I feel a calming sense of peace fall over me like a blanket.
In the distance, I watched in awe as a seagull glided across the water before it swiftly dove in. Within seconds, the seagull darts out of the water grasping a fish in its beak. The fish was squirming around trying to escape but the seagull wasn't budging. The seagull flies higher and higher leaving my line of sight. Around me I can hear the slight sounds of conversations coming from fishermen. Suddenly, I heard a slight commotion as the sound of a fishing line was being reeled in. I look over to see a fisherman yank back his pole and up comes a giant gray fish. I observe as the fish flops around frantically on the floorboards. The fisherman begins to remove the fishhook from the fish’s mouth and plops it into a cooler. After watching the fisherman's big catch, I turned my attention back to the ocean. I can see as the waves build right before they crash onto the sand. As I stare out at the vast ocean it seems never ending. It reminds me that there are billions of people living their own lives and the mistakes I have made are insignificant in comparison. I feel my mind begin to ease and feel at peace in the moment.
As I sit and stare out into the distance, time feels nonexistent. I feel my phone buzz in my pocket and instantly snap back into reality feeling my peace dissipate. I grab my phone out of the pocket and notice a text from my dad wondering when I would be coming back because it was time for lunch. I begin to walk back down the pier and make my way back to the house. As I am nearing the start of the pier, I notice a woman with a guitar playing my favorite song. I stop to listen for a bit when I notice an intriguing shirt displayed in the window of one of the shops. It caught my eye and I decided to go in and see what else it had to offer. As I entered the shop, I was overwhelmed by the amount of merchandise inside the store. They had anything you could possibly want such as t-shirts, pants, shorts, and other appealing souvenirs. I looked around the shop for a few minutes and decided I needed to continue making my way home. After about ten minutes, I finally arrived home. My family was all ready to go out to lunch and was waiting for me in the living room. As I walk through the front door I watch as my family begins to scramble to leave. I felt the blanket of peace that had fallen over my body while on the pier lift as chaos unfolds in front of my eyes. In times of commotion like this, I begin to appreciate the small moments, such as walking the pier, that bring me such peace and comfort.