Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?

Robert Wyland once quoted, “The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul.” Although Wyland uses his thoughts to bring meaning to his elaborate murals, I use his thoughts to bring meaning to my everyday life. When I imagine an environment where I am perfectly content and filled with pure bliss and happiness, I imagine Shorefront Park.
Shorefront Park is located approximately two miles from my home, facing the beautiful Great South Bay of Long Island. I notice that whenever I am feeling dismal, faced with immense stress, or simply searching for a place to relax and be free, I find myself sitting on the edge of the splintery wooden dock, taking in the blues and greens that reflect off the shimmering sea.
Behind my usual spot is a small but cheerful playground, filled with laughter of children and handholding of young couples. If my spot is ever taken on the dock, or simply overcrowded, I’ll take a stroll on over to the playground and perch on the swing closest to the sand. As I swing, I imagine what it must be like to be a bird, and how amazing it would be to have wings and the ability to fly. Birds have the world to adventure, facing only clouds in their sky, hoping they’ll eventually move past them. However as I continue to swing, I then realize, I do have the world to adventure, only facing clouds in my sky. I realize I have the power to move past them too, so maybe I am a bird after all.
Once my legs begin to grow numb from pumping them on the swing, I’ll take a stroll on over to the sand and dig my toes into the millions of tan grains. As I palm the shore into my fists, I let it drain from in-between my fingers, floating away into the wind. Watching the granules swirl every which way, they seem to dance to their own little tune. Growing excitement and a