Personal Narrative: My First Experience

There is always that sense of awe and yet fear when trying new things. Your excitement for the unknown is mixed with the fear of failing or embarrassing yourself. At least that’s how I felt when I tried boogie boarding for the first time. On one vacation in California I went out on the waves with my uncle Neal to try this new experience for myself. My brother had appeared to master it easily enough, but I wasn’t quite as naturally gifted. Although I acted intimidated and nervous, I was actually very anxious to get out there and master this skill. The vast ocean seemed to be begging, “You have to come try this, Mya!” I couldn’t resist the call. The day wasn’t particularly hot, due to the fact it was still early february, but we made the trek out to Salt Creek Beach anyways. The beach was around ten minutes from my

I feared I would mess up the simplest instruction and I would tumble off the boogie board. Then I would crash and tumble under the waves and would face that moment of panic where my lungs would believe I was going to drown. These scary thoughts made me hesitate, and I almost missed it. Then suddenly I was flying over the water! I had taken the wave my uncle had led me to and it was like the rush you feel from sledding, but even more exciting! The feeling could definitely be compared to how one would feel if you could actually fly. The wave picked me up and as the wave crashed and created the fizzing white foam around me, I just soared over it with wonder. As the ride ended, my boogie board came to a gentle stop on the bank of sand. I climbed off and the sand scratched my skin on my arms and knees like I was rubbing sandpaper against it. My face felt strangely salty, which I mean, that makes sense, because I was in a body of salt water. Despite all these negatives, the thrill outweighed everything. My fear of falling off and feeling like I was going to drown dissipated and I raced back out to my uncle to go