Sarah Sasek – Student – The Island School

Water—most of us take it for granted on a daily basis, while others cannot find any to drink or bathe in. It goes unnoticed when we leave the water running while brushing our teeth, wash our cars, and run the washing machine and dishwasher. Our busy lives do not have time to appreciate the nature around us; the elements that make the circle of life continue. We do not cherish the cooling sensation as water runs down our throats. Although we immerse ourselves in water in showers, and on hot days in the swimming pool, we ironically run for shelter whenever water rains from the sky.  

Living the last month at The Island School, I have become conscious of the water surrounding me. Its value has increased as my perspective has changed towards recognizing it and appreciating it. Free diving in the Atlantic has awakened me to reconsider my perspective on water—water is not mine to take advantage of; I have no ownership over it. When I enter the ocean I am immersed into a new world where water creates life. I become a visitor in this world where my lungs can no longer depend on air. I descend and feel my heart rate slow, a calming peace settling over me as my worries are forgotten and I glide through the never ending sea.

I’ve come to appreciate water on a daily basis. Each day I notice water as I take navy showers. I notice that every drop of water I conserve during my showers is one more drop that will quench my thirst later. Or perhaps this one drop will quench the thirst of a fish whose world is becoming less of a home due to human impact. Each morning I wake to see the sun rising over an endless sea—a sea in which many lives are in danger as a result of our actions.