I ascend the sandy hill, flip flops in hand, dressed in my favorite black leggings and a t-shirt. I love the feel of the soft sand between my toes. I can't see the ocean yet, but I can hear wave after wave crashing onto the shore. I reach the top of the hill and I see the breathtakingly beautiful blue ocean stretching as far as I can see out in front of me, to my left, to my right. I pause, set my flip flops down, and simply stand there for a moment, and take it all in before descending the hill. I walk as close to the water as possible. It is high tide, so powerful waves crash and soak my leggings straight through. But I don't mind. The wet sand sticks to my wet toes as I walk further and further. Time passes, but I hardly notice. Later, I change into my swimsuit and head down to the water. We measure the temperature, 63 degrees, but that is not going to stop me. I dive in headfirst. My whole body immediately starts to shake, but soon I am used to the cold. As the waves co