Nearly a decade ago, my daughter Rachel laboriously wrote her college essays. One in particular always stood out to me as Rachel captured a summer scene where families, neighbors, friends, and strangers crossed paths. These interwoven episodes of people treading the same path over a beach boardwalk creating new memories blended with reliving old tales, impacted her own life story.

Many of us may not realize the old stories we share and the new memories we create may impact a person’s life we never knew was listening. It amazes me over and over again how stories, even in this simple college essay, create connection.

Brian’s View – by Rachel Neider

If there was ever a heaven on earth, it would be in Emerald Isle, North Carolina, on a little boardwalk called Brian’s View. My family owns a house there, as well as two of my uncles. We go there every summer, spring vacation, and three-day weekends. The boardwalk leads from the neighborhood clubhouse to the warm, sandy beach. It is not the quiet and peaceful place that people search for, but a noisy boardwalk that people walk up and down all day.

People would not expect a place like this to be my haven, but it is the place I feel most perfectly content. No one is ever on their phone, stressed out, or angry. No one is shouting at their video games or the game on television. Best of all, no one is discussing politics. They are all there to enjoy the hot sun, warm sand, and the cool ocean.

During time I don’t spend in the water or hanging out with my friends and cousins, I sit on a bench that is attached to the rails of the boardwalk and observe the people that walk by. The families usually consist of the parents carrying children, towels, toys, and whatever else they need for the day. The little kids run as fast as their little legs allow them until they hit the hot sand, then they are carried by the grandmothers. The grandfathers are always the ones who carry down the umbrella, the beer, and the radio, soaking up those Jimmy Buffet classics. When the surfer dudes walk by, one hundred percent of their attention is focused on the ocean. Occasionally they take their eyes off the water and offer a friendly smile to me.

During the evening, the retired people come out and tell about their lives and all the adventures they have had before coming to Emerald Isle. They talk about their children, grandchildren, and stories that are so real to me, that I feel sorry when they end. One man told of his experiences being a prisoner of war during Vietnam. I do not remember the specifics of his story, but I do remember how much I respected him after he finished speaking.

At around midnight, the people my age come out. They all come to escape the adults and the pressures of the world. They come to hang out with their friends. Never do we talk about our different schools, what college we are supposed to go to, or our life back home. We never talk about our jobs or where we might be in five years. We talk about our dreams, and what really matters to us. Sometimes the “stick in the muds” complain about us to the neighborhood security guards. Our solution is to do what any normal teenager would do, rebel and make them more annoyed.

At around three am, there is no one there. It is just me, the summer breeze, and the sound of the ocean. Sometimes when the moon is really bright and the sky is clear, the moon reflects off the ocean creating the illusion that the reflection goes on forever, falling off the earth at the foot of the moon. Everything around me takes all the stress of the world away, and leaves me with a clear mind.

If there was ever a time and place to sit and observe the beauty of nature, this would be the time and place. My mom once told me that nature is healing to the soul. She is absolutely right. Places like Brian’s view connect humans with nature. It reminds us that the greatest gift is being around people and nature; these things together bring us peace. That is why I feel so perfectly content on a little boardwalk, called Brian’s View.