The ocean has always frightened me. I was three when I first saw it. Loved the sand. Loved the picnic my mom brought. Hated the ocean. Would not, could not, go near the water.
As a teen, I hid my fears—almost as afraid of being made fun of as I was the ocean. I would skirt the edge, claiming that I didn’t want to get wet, but in reality, I was terrified, because, let’s face it, the ocean is huge. Standing in front of that vast body of water, I felt like the proverbial drop in the bucket, so very, very small and insignificant.
It was a horse that finally changed my mind. As much as I feared the ocean, I loved horses more. It had been ten years since I had been on a horse, and for a girl raised with them, it seemed like an eternity. When my boyfriend stopped at a horse ranch on the Oregon coast, I was more than intrigued, I was excited. Is there anything more romantic in the world than riding a horse on the beach?
The sun sat low on the ocean as we headed off. Because I was an experienced rider, the trail guide told me I didn’t have to stay with the group and my boyfriend and I headed out by ourselves. My horse kept veering into the water to paw at the waves, soaking me with spray. For the first time, the ocean didn’t scare me. And when I urged the horse into a gallop, I knew I would never be afraid of the ocean again.
And I’m not. I still have a healthy respect for the ocean… here in Oregon, we have sneaker waves— huge waves that come out of nowhere and take the unwary off their feet. But afraid? Not anymore.
Of course, Linda Gerber’s Death by Bikini might change all that…But luckily, I’m more afraid of wearing a bikini than I ever was the ocean!
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