Family Case

"Live in the present. Launch yourself on every wave. Find eternity in each moment." -Henry David Thoreau.

The magic of the ocean compels every human and can be used as a medium for life. The ocean can have a soothing aesthetic one day, and the next it can try to take your life away. In this way the ocean reflects our everyday lives and how different days bring different events and challenges.

Since I was a baby, my family and I always visit my relatives in California for Christmas and in the summer. My aunt and uncle live an hour away from Malibu so my cousins and I always go down there to surf. Surfing allows me to bond with my cousins and reflect on my life. My grandma always come out to watch us from the beach and tell us to never give up if we were not able to catch a wave or if we fell off our board.

The summer of 2001 was a rough summer for my family. My grandma was diagnosed with cancer and was slowly dying. I remember my family being crammed around my grandmas bed in the little hospital room telling funny stories about her. Everyone was laughing but all I was able to do was stare at the monitor that showed my grandmas heart beat. It was scary to see my grandma hooked up to all those wires. It was frighting to think that I could lose one of my best friends at any moment. My mom was a total mess and my dad found it hard to support her. I felt like my family was falling apart slowly. My grandma has always been the rock in our family. She was always there for me and brought our families together for the holidays. I was scared that when I lost my grandma, I would lose my grandpa too. I did not know how to cope with this because I never experienced someone close to me dying. It was a sad summer and I tried to keep myself occupied so I did not think about the situation. I remember one morning my cousin threw a wet suit in my face and told me we were going surfing. I did not feel motivated to go surfing but my cousin said it would help my mind relax. It felt so good on my bare feet to walk on the cold, wet, soft, sandy beach down to the ocean. I could not wait to dive in and feel the water splash against my face. I remember sitting on my board in the middle of the ocean and praying for my grandma. I prayed that god would take her soon so that she would not have to suffer anymore in the hospital bed. At that moment, I realized that surfing relieves my stress and relaxes my mind and body. When I surf, I surf for the excitement and the feeling of being free. It sets me free in the sense of releasing me from my everyday worries. I am obsessed with the sound of the powerful waves crashing down as I paddle on my board. That sound helps my thoughts run freely and relax my mind. The feeling of standing up on a surfboard and riding something that nature has pushed at me is irresistible. When I paddle out to the middle of