Shining more brightly than I've ever seen, the sun was directly above me, scorching the bystanders that were not as lucky as I was to have shield from the heat, and inevitable sunburn. Crashing down about every ten seconds the waves would start tall and then cap off, eventually fading away as they made their way up onto the sand to the awaiting feet that yearn for a cool reief.

Putting my drink down in the sand, I could not hold myself back from wondering again how sand could get so white. More like flour, I picked up a handful of the warm snow and let it run through my fingers;

His eyes were kind, but you could tell that they had seen many things for this who introduced himself simply as Dan. Garbed in a Hawaiian tee-shirt that was open down the front, exposing his slightly overweight gut, Dan probably bought the shirt in a nearby tourist shop. He had a pair of torn khaki shorts supported by what looked like a man-made belt, using an old shoe lace stung through the belt loops and tied in a knot. Glancing down to his feet I noticed that he was wearing a pair of water moccasins, the kind that kind that protect your feet from sharp objects when you are wading through the water.

We talked for a while and I found out that he grew up in a southern part of Ohio, and he found out that I grew up in Northwestern Indiana. After a discussing sports I was thinking about how to poliely excuse myself from the conversation beause my stomach was starting to talk to me, telling me it needed food now.

"Sure, I mean no, go agead and have a seat," I stuttered out still looking and analyzing this man who held a fishing pole in one hand and a green tackle box in the other. It was the type of tackle box that I think everyone owns whether they fish or not. "Did you catch anything?" I asked, commending myself for such a good conversation starter.

it was like watching an hourglass emptying itself.

Being at the point of my life that the world seemed to only get larger and larger, I was worried that my life was meaningless. Somehow with just a simple conversation with a man that I have never known, and would never see again. He showed me that even though the world might be overwhelming at times, I still have much to be grateful for. While not everything may be in order at this time in my life, I will always have so many things to be happy about. It reminds me of the classic moral quote; "better is half a loaf than no bread."-Haywood.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Northwestern Indiana, Garbed Hawaiian, Disney World, , tackle box, sand white, found grew, drink sand,
Approximate Word count = 1283
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)