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Picture the most beautiful beach.
Powdery white sand that squeaks when you walk through it.
Clear blue sky, not a cloud in sight. 
A slight breeze mixed with sunshine that tingles your skin.
The smell of coconut scented sunscreen.
Saltwater air that fills your lungs.
The sound of waves crashing across the shore in some hypnotic rhythm.
And of course, crystal-clear water. Not too cold. Definitely refreshing. 

Those are the beaches I grew up knowing. 

I was 20 years old before I found out that not all beaches were the same.
I will never forget that day.

I had moved out to California and everyone kept raving about San Diego beaches.
So of course, I could not wait to go.
Finally we headed out to the beach. 

Now I am not saying that San Diego beaches are bad. 
What I am saying is that they are not the same.
The sand was black.
The water was dark.
When I finally got over the culture shock I was experiencing, I headed out to walk in the water. 
It was FREEZING and suddenly something wrapped around my leg. 
NOPE .
Luckily it was only a string of kelp and not some sea monster that immediately popped into my head. But still, that was the end of that.

So I sat my butt in the sand, ate some homemade ceviche, and enjoyed hanging out with my friends. 
Letting the worries of my life melt away with each breath of saltwater air. 

It was in that moment I realized that I was a mermaid at heart.

Being outside in the sun, preferably near water, makes me happy.
Gives me energy.
Renews my soul.

If given the choice between sitting inside and sitting outside in the sun, I will choose outside.
EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
Even if it means looking less like a mermaid and more like something that washed ashore.

It is not even a preference at this point. 

It is a prescription.

It took me years to realize that being outside wasn’t just something I enjoyed. It was something I needed.

Some things in life aren’t luxuries. They’re necessities.

Now I make it a priority to step out in the sun as much as possible and remind myself that life is more than the weight placed on my shoulders. 

Mermaids are not meant to live in fish tanks.
They will die in captivity.
Their colorful scales turn dull without water.
Without the sun, they pale and start to wither away.

Mermaids may not exist exactly the way they are portrayed in movies and books.
But maybe they do exist in theory.

Maybe that’s what a mermaid heart really is.
Maybe it’s simply knowing where your soul feels most at home.

Mine just happens to be somewhere between sunshine and saltwater.

I drive with the windows down and refuse to buy a vehicle that doesn’t have a sunroof.
I own more bathing suits and flip-flops than I will ever use in my lifetime.
I believe anything under 70 degrees is freezing.
I start counting down to summer sometime around October.
And you will never hear me complain that it’s too hot.

Just like a mermaid sunning herself on a rock, sit me outside and watch the stress of life evaporate.

Give me sunshine, water, and fresh air and suddenly the problems that seemed so heavy don’t feel quite as impossible.

Maybe that’s why summer will always be my favorite season.
It’s the time of year when my mermaid heart gets to be free.

And honestly, I think we all deserve a place that makes us feel a little more alive.

So when you see me out in the sun smiling like I have no care in the world…

Mind ya business!

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— sorry NOT sorry —

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