Brittaney Martel
First Year Writing 1150
Instructor Charteris
Personal Narrative
This is
Bliss
I
stood there preparing to jump, gazing down upon the luminous Adriatic Sea,
crashing against the base of the cliff twenty feet below me. My eyes were glued
to the alluring water. The constant motion of the waves began to alter my
perception, causing my stomach to churn. I felt the sea begin to inch towards
me, faster and faster; it consumed my courage with the rest of
my comfort. I stumbled back from the edge envisioning
the water chasing me. My restless thoughts had conquered me again. I could no
longer jump.
Earlier that day
The
Hvar Island partiers were drunkenly wandering back to they’re hotels, or as
close to a bed as they could get- the beach sufficed for some, when Grace and I
awoke to watch the sunrise that morning. We found our way to an inlet nearby
and sat perched on a small dock, awkwardly lying parallel to the beach,
watching the drunks stumble by. As each
would pass I wondered who they were, what they were thinking, and where they
were headed. I tried to read each ones’ expression, looking to find if they
seemed happy or sad. I wondered how the happy ones did it, how they stayed that
way, and if they truly were.
As I lost my self in thought and dusk arose I
realized we would not be able to see the sun rise from this side of the island.
Neither of us knew of another location, but Grace spotted a road that appeared
to stretch over one of the many giant hills that formed the mainland of the
island. Feeling impatient to see the sunrise, and curious to see the other side
of the island, I suggested we see where the road goes.
The
road was longer than expected, hill after hill, lined with only locals’
villas. We had no idea where we were
headed, and dawn was beginning to paint lavender and pink colors in the sky. I
was getting so anxious to get somewhere, a feeling I despised but had become
familiar with in the past year. My thoughts began to cloud. Are we lost? Would
we miss the sunrise? Grace was perfectly content, but I could tell she was
beginning to note the concern on my face. We had been walking for at least an
hour, and although it was not visible to us, it was obvious the sun had already
broken the horizon; then, we saw a sign pointing towards a small dirt trail
that read, Milna Beach.
Relief
flushed through my body as we began our walk down that dirt trail.
Only minutes later, we reached a clearing.
Grace and I both had to pause in astonishment, for this was the most beautiful
place we had ever laid eyes on. To the left, we saw luscious rolling green
hills, and to the right, a blissfully blue inlet lined with rocky-whitewashed
cliffs and a sandy beach. A cloudless sky, masked by the softest shades of the
unfinished sunrise, sat above the water.
After
rushing down to the beach and admiring the serene surroundings, we wondered
onto the rugged and sharp cliffs that surrounded the sides of
the inlet. Walking on them was quite the endeavor, but curiosity had taken
over, and we no longer cared. Between the rows of cliffs, we found one that
looked flat enough to stand on. This is
where we decided to cliff dive.
In our first attempts, neither of us could do it, although for different
reasons. Grace was coated in the fear of death, and I, the fear of losing
control.
After
both of our failed attempts to jump in, I began to re-conquer my thoughts,
along with a strong sense of determination and courage. If I was in the middle
of the Adriatic, on this once-in-a -lifetime morning hike, it would be a
mistake not to jump. We checked the depth of the water and the landing for any
rocks. We reclaimed our emotions and prepared ourselves to jump. This time, I
would do it. I would let go.
I
stood there preparing to jump, gazing down upon the luminous Adriatic Sea,
crashing against the base of the cliff ten feet below my feet. I squeezed my eyes shut tight, took a step
back, and ran forward, leaping into the alluring sea. The fall seemed to last
for centuries, but as soon as I hit the water a sense of refreshment,
revitalization, and serenity flooded over me.
I conquered my restless thoughts, and jumped.
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