I’m the first one up. I’m sitting listening to the stillness of the house but also watching the complete stillness of the water. It was my dad who gave me my love of the water. At an early age taking me out on the boat. We never fished. Most of the time didn’t even have a destination, just went. My favorite of his boats was a yellow speedboat he owned. I remember being in the cabin with my little sister, doing god knows what, and we hit a tremendous wave. My sister and I were laughing. We went airborne and down again on the cabin bed, it was awesome. We came out to say to my dad WOW!!! He was on deck drenched.

My dad owned a house on the water in Merrick, around the corner from where I lived for almost 20 years. The whole house overlooked the ocean. He moved when I was roughly 8. It wasn’t until almost 8 years later did he come back to the water. After his own second divorce, he moved to a condo on the beach. Once again back to the water. I slept there one night, after all I was 16 by this time. I remember asking him if he had a sound machine on. The response was, no, it was the actual waves you heard lulling you to sleep.

Mostly on the boats I was quiet. I loved to just be there, free, wind blowing, it was such a great feeling. I remember going out with my aunt and uncle once. We took their boat to a restaurant for lunch. I was so quiet on the way back, for a split instance, the thought they forgot me. I found a similar feeling being on a motorcycle with my ex-boyfriend. That too became one of my favorite places and gave me the same feeling the boat did.

Water calms me. It’s why I wanted the water view at my condo so bad. I zone out, gazing at it, lost but not really thinking. There is something so beautiful about it. I’m looking forward to watching the commotion when the weather gets nicer and the boats are out, but I also appreciate the stillness of the winter waters. Last year I sat here in Florida, gazing at my dads lake view, wishing I can have a place with a water view. I wouldn’t have thought one year later, I got my view too.