It is 2016 and it is storming. I am in a tent by the sea, with my parents and brother. The tent inhales and exhales with the wind while he sleeps, rain patters and dances above us. Thunder echoes and cracks. I can hear the ocean gushing, and I wonder how high the tide is now. Children on bikes playfully zoom past, calling out to each other. The storm sounds like it is going now.
...
Today, 18th of January, 2016, I went to the sea with a dead phone, and felt the moment. For once, I wasn’t distracted by social media, or the thought of likes. I simply observed wild rabbits, watched the waves, the birds, the sky, the people, and cried. The thought of having to leave - intruding my mind. Couples - embracing by the water. Couples - on top of their cars, smiling.
I was happy.
...
The heat of day surpasses into humidity, and soon, storm clouds clutter the afternoon sky, rain beginning to speckle across our tent. I stroll barefoot across the grass, picking the towels from their drying spots, the wind tugging at my hair. I am perched at the camp table now, books and art supplies scattered in front of me, the air tasting of salt and smelling of rain. Everything feels fresh, cleansed, new.
