I love the beach, just about more than any other place, except Disneyland of course. There's something so revitalizing about the ocean; the sound of waves crashing on the beach in rhythmic sets, the feeling of sand between your toes and wind through your hair, the smell of salt in the air. The sun has a way of warming your skin in a manner that makes you feel more alive than you ever have been. I find myself at the beach; I find piece of me I never knew existed or sometimes a piece that I'd forgotten about. It's so cleansing and so absolutely vital to my sanity; if I'm away for too long, I start to go stir-crazy. I just need need it. I can't explain it more than that, it's just something that you either feel and understand or you don't. There's obviously some essentials I always bring with me- flip flops (obviously), a book, sunglasses, my notebook and a really great beach hat. But maybe the most important thing I bring to the beach is my iPod and an amazing beach mix. It just goes hand in hand with the whole "beach experience", it's part of that cleansing, that rebirth that I feel when I'm there. One of my favorite quotes from JFK is something he said at a dinner in 1962, "we are tied to the ocean...[and] when we go back to the Sea- whether it is to sail or to watch- we are going from whence we came." That's definitely something I feel, like the ocean and I are interconnected, like somehow I've been birthed from the ocean and when I return, it's like going home. It's like finally being where I belong. The ocean just gets me. Am I a crazy person? Another favorite of mine. RWE's my homeboy. Maybe so, but by the slews of songs written about it, I'm starting to think that maybe a lot of people feel that way. Being from California, it's in our blood. But I bet every state or city that sits on the ocean believes that. But the thing that's so great about it is that it's an entirely personal (if not, spiritual) experience. It's a complete rebirth for me, every time I go. I have a my own beach. Not in the literal sense (I WISH!), but a spot on a specific beach in Northern California that's just mine. Everything is perfect there; there are no worries, no negative emotions, nothing but me, the sand, the water, and a perfect beach mix. [As always, clicking on the title of the Playlist will open it up to listen to for free on Spotify.] ESCAPE 1.Pompeii- Bastille 2. Escape (The Pina Colada Song)- Jack Johnson 3. On Top of the World- Imagine Dragons 4. If Not Now, When?- Incubus 5. The Great Escape- Boys Like Girls 6. Hard to Concentrate- Red Hot Chili Peppers 7. Summer Day- Coconut Records 8. Breakdown- Jack Johnson 9. Summer Skin- Death Cab For Cutie 10. Cabin by the Sea- The Dirty Heads 11. Oceans- Coasts 12. San Francisco- The Mowgli's 13. We Won't Go Home- The Colourist 14. Knee Deep- Zac Brown Band/Jimmy Buffet 15. Amsterdam- Imagine Dragons 16. One Headlight- The Wallflowers 17. City of Blinding Lights- U2 18. Margaritaville- Jimmy Buffet 19. Dosed- Red Hot Chili Peppers 20. Best Day of my Life- American Authors 21. Seaside- The Kooks 22. Peaceful Easy Feeling- The Eagles 23. Strawberry Swing- Coldplay 24. Mudfootball- Jack Johnson 25. Brown Eyed Girl- Van Morrison 26. Keep Your Head Up- Ben Howard 27. Fever Dreams- Dashboard Confessional 28. Road Trippin'- Red Hot Chili Peppers Hopefully you make it to the beach at least once this summer...I'll be going AS MANY times as possible! :)