An ominously still waterbody. Man made. It has no waves and makes only the buzzing sound of a small motor roaring. Located in a small backyard, this small hole could be fatal. I am awful at swimming. My piano teacher had offered to conduct swimming lessons after overhearing that I couldn’t swim. I would soon enter her pool moments later with my hands shaking and my legs trembling, and with all my might, I stepped into the pool. I took a sniff of the chlorine and noticed how potent and scary the smell was. Potent as in disgusting and scary as in reminding me of the possibility that I might die in this pool. As soon as I reach the deep end, my body stiffens and I sink almost immediately. I swallow an uncomfortably large amount of water filled with chemicals. I am able to reach the end of the pool thanks to my goggles. I cough out a bucket of water. I calm down and the lesson goes on. I leave after 30 minutes and compare this experience with another.

2 years ago…

Almost every summer, my family visits LA to meet my second cousins. Most of the time, we never visit the beach and instead walk around the city and eat at restaurants. This time, it was different. My family headed to Santa Monica State Beach. We all walked onto the beach and decided to build a sandcastle. I didn’t want to. I walked into the ocean carefully. My eyes looking straight ahead. The sky and lake seemed to be touching. I walk deeper into the ocean and finally put my head into the water. It feels so calm and serene. The water is filled with nothing but a bit of salt. There isn’t any motor noise. No chlorine taste or smell. Just the sweet tranquil noise of silence. I can still barely hear the muffled screams of younger kids playing on the beach. I finally lifted my head up from the ocean and took a deep breath of the fresh clean air. Me as a man who can’t swim, still found beauty in the ocean and in nature.