Sarah at the Lake

           As I mentioned in my first blog post last week, I have lived in West Michigan for my entire life.  More specifically, my hometown is Spring Lake, Michigan.  For those of you who don’t know, Spring Lake is Grand Haven’s next-door neighbor.

            My town has helped shape me into who I am today, in more ways than one.  The biggest influence that Spring Lake has had on me, though, is my love for being near the water.  Because I am from this area, water has always been a huge part of my life.  Living in this area, I have always had unlimited access to the miles of beaches that run all along Lake Michigan.  I learned how to swim shortly after I learn how to walk.  I learned how to properly operate a boat long before I learned how to drive a car.  I was on the varsity swim team during all four years of high school.  I have literally been a Laker for my entire life—Spring Lake’s mascot is a Laker, just like Grand Valley’s is.  Being around water has the same effect on me that being in the forest has on many people; it relaxes me, makes me feel happy, and, ultimately, it makes me feel like I am home.

            When many people think of the word “nature”, they seem to think of forests: the lush, green vegetation, the earthy-smelling dirt, the sapphire-blue sky peeking through the tops of trees.  I instinctively think of these things, too.  However, I also always ultimately end up thinking of the beach.  The gigantic white sand dunes, the scratchy beach grass, the sound of huge white-capped waves crashing against the shore, seagulls screeching as they search for food…these all remind me of nature, too.  I typically feel more connected to this aspect of nature than I do to the woods.  
 

Grand Haven pier, 9/18/15

Lake MI storm, 9/18/15

I like to go to the beach to calm myself and collect my thoughts.  In fact, just last week, my best friend Suzie and I were feeling stressed out from school, so we decided to go for a walk on the Grand Haven pier.  We ended up walking a total of almost four miles, all the while talking, people-watching, and sometimes just staying silent.  We watched the sky grow darker and the waves grow bigger as a storm started to roll in.  We looked on as boats, big and small, made their way down the channel and out into the open water.  We laughed as we watched two young men attempt (and struggle) to surf the waves.  It was absolutely blissful.

         
            As a future teacher, I often wonder if I will have to move away from West Michigan to find a job after I graduate.  In theory, I think I would be okay with this—I think it would be fun to get out and expand my horizons.  I have often dreamed of moving somewhere completely different from where I live now, even if it was only for a few years.  If I got offered a job in Chicago or Florida or even somewhere overseas, would I do it?  I like to think that I would.  But I would also want to come back someday.  Living on the lake would not be an easy thing to give up.  In the end, West Michigan is, and always will be, my one true home.