Mary Ragan: Connection to Place

As we continued to talk about the connection people make to places I continued to think about my own connection to place. I really feel like I understand this concept. We talked about place being a space with distinct character and all being oriented toward a specific environment. I think this specific environment depends on where you are brought up, where you seek refuge from troubles or find comfort. Or in the case of one of the songs we heard it could depend on what you learn and pick up from your family, culture, and identity. My connection is to the ocean. I have lived about a mile from the beach in NJ my entire life and thought that I just liked the beach because it's where I've always been but I can honestly say I feel an attatchment to it. I witnessed this connection and attachment in myself this past weekend when I went to Virginia Beach to volunteer at the Rock n Roll half marathon. I hadn't seen the ocean since I have been back at school and as we walked up to the boardwalk I saw the ocean and felt what I think was a kind of relief come over me. This sounds corny but I found myself lifting up my arms excited. I was surprised at what I was feeling. It also made me miss home as seeing it made me think of my summer, family and home. I realized that my connection to the ocean grew stronger this summer while I was home. I ran on the boardwalk about every other morning by myself which always made me have such a great start to my day. Sometimes I would hang out down there for a little bit while not a lot of other people were there and just think, pray, reflect or jump in the ocean. I sometimes felt like I craved this solitary swim. It became such a place for ME. I saw the sunrise a couple times. Or I would often just ride by the beach, play music and relax. I also experienced this connection when I was in Africa this summer. As we drove away from one of the villages, all crammed into a truck on the bumpy roads, all I could think was that I wanted to be swimming in the ocean by myself. The village was so poverty stricken and desperate and I just felt so horrible about things. What I feel is hard to put into words I guess but the ocean is a release for me. I connect it to God, reflection, relaxation, solitude, and spirituality. It is a sacred place.