My exposure to boating has been extremely influential to my development. It has taught me responsibility and leadership. From a young age, I was forced to learn how to run and operate our little aluminum motor boat and our Sunfish sailboat. When around boats, it is essential to be organized and responsible, or someone could get seriously hurt or killed. I accepted such great responsibility as a young child because I knew that someday people's lives might depend on my knowledge of the surrounding waters and nautical skills.

While most of my experiences on the Cape have been positive, there are a few that are negative. One disturbing event occurred about three years ago, when I was fourteen. A young family rented the house next door to our cottage. One day the young boy in the family who was approximately five years old, went down to the beach and started smashing crabs with a big rock. This sight sent chills through my body. Over the summers, I have developed a close relationship with nature. I could not understand how this child could take so much pleasure in killing such a beautiful creature. I told the boy what he was doing was wrong, but I don't think what I said sunk in. I imagine he stopped because he was intimidated by me, a teenager. This incident made me realize that people throughout my life might not share all my beliefs and feelings.

When I was about thirteen years old, I started doing yard work for the Roberts, one of the many elderly couples on

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Approximate Word count = 637
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)