The Peace of the Waterfront Park

Connecting and interacting with nature is something that I have always pursued, but as I have come to know and love the Charleston area, I find that I currently find the most enriching interaction with nature at the Joe Riley Waterfront Park. The day before move-in during the fall semester, my family and I walked down there to get the first look at the ocean since being in Charleston, and being from Ohio, it was so inviting and newly beautiful that I knew without a doubt I was in the right place. Ever since then, I try to walk to the Waterfront Park at least once a week, and this interaction has impacted me in numerous and wonderful ways.

First, this interaction of walking with the goal of reaching this beautiful space has been my favorite and sometimes only real exercise since being at the college. As an Honors student especially, I spend a good amount of my days doing school work in my dorm room, sometimes only leaving to get food at the dining hall, which can be physically and mentally exhausting and isolating. Getting out and getting some fresh air really feels like a privilege and is what reminds me of the simple pleasure of being a part of nature and how important this interaction is. Once I get to the water, I can just sit and look at the sparkling surface and focus on the sounds, clearing my mind and bringing me emotionally to peace. At least half of the time, I am lucky and as I stare out into the ocean, the clear surface is suddenly displaced by a dorsal fin, and I am filled with joy at the sight of a dolphin.

In addition, coming to a college eleven hours away from home to live with people I have never met was a scary ordeal, but this love of the Waterfront Park is one which I share with my roommates, and it has become a bonding experience for us as we began walking down to the water together. We swap stories and share memories, and make more as we get excited about the dolphins together. These shared moments with nature is what helped to start our friendship by giving us common ground and has continued to strengthen it. At the end of last semester, my roommates and I decided to get up early so that we could watch the sunrise over the water together. Being out with nature at the beginning of the day was absolutely wonderful and became even better when we were once again blessed by the presence of a dolphin, and I was even able to photograph it! Now, whenever I get overwhelmed with school work and need a break but do not have the time to take the twenty minute walk to the water, I pull out this photo and feel just as at peace and in awe as I did that morning. We are all a part of nature, and there is so much power and safety in remembering this fact and embracing it.