Fulfilling my dream of living by the sea

Swimming in every ocean is on my bucketlist and living by the sea has been my dream since I can remember.

Growing up in Germany, an almost completely landlocked country, has made me yearn for the ocean from an early age. All of my summer holidays as a child, as well as my holidays as a teen and now grown-up have been, and usually still are, directed at spending time somewhere close to the sea.

Standing next to the ocean makes me feel both modest as well as mighty (capable of everything). You realise what a small place you occupy in this world but I also feel like everything is possible. The ocean always has, and still does raise these two contradicting feelings in me.

Listening to the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore pulls me into a state of utter mindfulness. I feel like no meditation session could help me be more aware of the moment and myself, letting my thoughts pass, like the coming and going of the tides and soaking up the beauty surrounding me, appreciating this wonderful world with everything it has to offer.  

The excitement I feel on the way to the beach never wears off. No matter how often I go there, even if it is every day during the summer while living in New Zealand, the amount of happiness and joy I experience walking along the beach is one I can hardly put into words.

When my feet touch the sand and the water tickles my ankles, I feel like I belong. I feel like I am where I should be. I feel complete, I feel happy, I feel whole.

No matter how busy things get or what challenges I might have faced during the day or the past week or month, as soon as I arrive at the beach, all my worries are literally washed away. I feel calm and content.

I do think that life is better by the sea. And like the ocean, I want my life to be free flowing. The only thing that’s certain is day and night time, like the tides, but I want to be free to decide what I do in between. I don’t want to be tied to an office 8-10 hours per day. I want to work from wherever I feel like, live life on my own terms and decide myself where and how I spend my days.

I don’t need much to live a happy life if only I can be free… like the ocean.

Author - Natalie Gruner

A travel girl at heart, Nat co-created Travelher and is currently based in Auckland, New Zealand (just a few steps from the sea!). She hopes to settle in New Zealand while building a more flexible life for herself that allows her to live in paradise without compromising regular home visits and continuous globetrotting.