Some of my favorite things in life show my internal contradictions: I love the beach, but I positively hate sand. I love the ocean, but I’m terrified of some of the things in it. (Like bull sharks…eep.) When we go to the beach, the kids love jumping into the waves, but I’m always reserved, looking into the water and trying to find (or rather, not find) some bull shark waiting for me. But I could sit on the beach and stare at the ocean for hours, just pondering life. I’ll get all philosophical, thinking about all the various species of life living in the ocean just mere feet from me, going about their lives oblivious to me. And yes, those bull sharks.
When I do want to go into the the water and relax, my favorite escape is Teach’s Hole, a little inlet in Ocracoke.
It’s positively peaceful there which is ironic, considering this is where Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard, fought his last battle and quite literally lost his head. I get breathless in a very nerd-like way thinking about the history in this spot. The water is calm and blue, and you can wade out quite some bit without it getting too deep. Plus, it’s so clear here that you can see crabs and jellyfish trotting along. If I had one spot that I would want to be at any given moment of the day, it would be here, feet soaking in the water while I stare out to endless blue water.

For the next 10 days, The Mission List and Water.org are working to raise $2,500 towards bringing safe water for life. Water is such a precious resource, and even the vastness of the ocean reminds me of those who do not get to enjoy our natural bodies idly. For some people, just having safe, clean drinking water is a necessity that remains a struggle to meet. Join me and other members of The Mission List raising these funds and getting water to those who need it.
Find out more at http://give.water.org/f/10daychallenge/.