Sam stared into the gleaming sunset. The sky’s orange glow shined on her sunburned face, as the pinks and the reds reflected on the rooftops of surrounding houses. Summer had just begun, and Sam already had that wondrous feeling that she gets when school lets out and a new season begins. Maybe it’s the hot, sticky weather that builds up into sweat from running along the beach. Or maybe, it’s the sound of the tall waves crashing against the shore, and young kids squealing with delight as the cold-water hits the top of their small, adolescent ankles. Or, it’s these kinds of moments that happen right on the back of her wooden deck, staring into the sunset, thoughts filling up her mind.
Still staring into the sky, Sam brings her hand up to her face, and gently touches it to make sure that this moment, happening right this second, is real, and not just imaginary.

She continues to make her way across the deck, and down the long flight of wooden stairs heading to the beach. The smooth sand tingles her toes, and the warm ocean breeze lightly spins around wisps of black wavy hair. The scent of salt water spreads through her nose, dashes down her lungs, and runs all the way down to the tips of her toes. She can feel it. It’s that sort of feeling where you know everything is in its proper place, and every other surrounding is just right. It’s the feeling of life, spurting up through the beating heart, the vigorous mind, and the living soul.