When I was a child, my family had those stereotypical, yearly beach trips, and my older brother — being the daredevil he is — always wanted to do things that scared my mom.
I have this stark memory of him at 7 years old in an inner tube, past the point where waves were breaking and where he definitely couldn’t stand. My mom screamed at him from the shore, saying that he was going to be dragged out to sea, and begged him to swim closer.
Thus began one of my biggest beach/ocean-related fears.
I never again would use a floaty in the ocean. I thought that I realistically was going to be like Jack Dawson, clinging for my life on an inner tube (cue Celine Dion’s "My Heart Will Go On").
And then my worst fears became reality this summer. Not to me, but to three adult best friends and two dogs back in June. They were having a great time, celebrating a birthday floating in Monashka Bay, Alaska, on a 10-foot pink flamingo raft.
And then, a near-tragedy struck.
Winds and currents dragged them out towards the Gulf of Alaska, where they were rescued by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter after the hour-long ordeal.
This got me thinking: If I were to float out to sea, what would I want to listen to?
Songs can distract me from what’s going on in the real world. I can lay down — or, you know, float — and put on a good playlist. Then, the next time I look at a clock, I'll see that half an hour has gone by.
