I've decided that I would like to share a little piece of my heart today. I wrote this short essay at the beginning of my senior year, and I smile reading it again today because of how accurate it remains. I don't know if it's any good, but I'm sharing it anyways as a sort of insight into why Carpinteria continues to inspire and refresh my creativity even after 18 years of camping here. These photos are just little moments of the adventure this week promises. I hope you enjoy. :)
Imagine the
refreshing feeling of the caress of crisp, salty ocean air gently
blowing across your face, and your nostrils are filled with the aroma
of a newly kindled campfire. In the near distance, you hear the
crashing waves of a terrifyingly extraordinary ocean, yet feel the
comfort and reassurance of the solid ground underfoot covered in the
warm and smooth grains of sand. This is what total tranquility is
entailed of. Carpinteria, California is the place I feel most at
peace with who I am, and feel most reassured of who I want to be.
When my life feels
overwhelmed with stress and the tribulations of life, I know that I
can always return back to the beach, whether it be over summer or
just in thought. The flood of memories of my summers spent near the
shore can make even my most stressful nights calm again. My family
has spent summer in Carpinteria, California every year for over fifty
years as a family tradition. Since the beginning of my existence, my
life has always centered around the anticipation of our Carpinteria
family reunion. The beauty of nature surrounding this town, the
absolutely gorgeous sunsets promised every night across the blue
horizon, the luscious green grass and mountainous landscape never
fail to leave me in awe and instill a sense of tranquility in the
truth that there is so much more beauty to life than I can fathom.
The peace that camping on the sand brings me quiets my fears and my
stress.
While camping on
the beach, my family is quite literally forced to become closer than
ever. I am so thankful for even the short amount of time I have while
camping to rekindle the relationships between cousins, aunts, and
uncles that I haven't seen since the previous summer. This magical
campground can mend even the most broken relationships under the
realization that life is short and family is too important to lose.
Every summer I am reminded just how much love surrounds me and how
blessed I have been to have been born into the family I was born
into.
Possibly the most
important lesson that being in this small oceanfront town reminds me
of, is the importance of why I love life, and why it is so precious
to me. When I camp on the beach, the closeness to nature reminds me
to appreciate its beauty, and it stirs up a beautiful feeling of
inspiration inside of the deepest parts of my soul. A sense of
creativity is sparked in me, and my love for photography is somehow
able to flow even more freely than it has the capacity to flow at
home in Arizona. The best lesson the ocean has taught me is that
there is a rich beauty to be found in adventures and capturing the
moments most precious to me.
Carpinteria,
California might be a town unfamiliar to most people, but to me it is
a refuge that I can call home. The serenity I am enveloped in as soon
as I step foot onto the warm sand is quite possibly my most cherished
memory I can always look back on to find peace, and will continue to
be the most precious feeling that I will always be able to look
forward too. The sense of self-assurance, the comforting arms of
loving family and friends, and the most beautiful root of inspiration
in my life can be found in the small town of Carpinteria.
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