Believe it or not, there are some people who have never been to the ocean.
When he saw the ocean, the first thing he had to do was feel it in his hands.
Who here enjoys going to the beach? When you first came here, how old were you? How long have you been visiting the beach?
Isn’t it a lovely place to be?
The gentle ocean breeze brushing against your face, the feel of sand on your feet, and the splash of waves on your back as you try to catch them.
It’s an experience that water lovers enjoy returning to again and again. It’s an experience they’d like everyone to have at least once in their lives.
Some have never visited. Many states in the United States are inland, hundreds or thousands of miles from the nearest ocean.
Their inhabitants, particularly those who prefer to stay put, have most likely only seen oceans in TV shows, movies, or photographs.
One such person is Papa Bear, an 85-year-old man.
Papa Bear had never been to the ocean, at least not until recently. His future son-in-law took him to the nearest ocean for the first time so he could see, feel, hear, smell, and touch it.
And Papa Bear was overjoyed. The first thing he did was lean over and grab some ocean water. He had some difficulty, particularly with bending his knees and hips.
His family had to warn the others to keep him back because falling over would be a problem. But he succeeded!
He finally touched ocean water, splashing it around, giddy from the sea breeze. Papa Bear couldn’t believe he’d arrived at the beach.
And it’s all because of his future son-in-law. As a gift to his future father-in-law, he took Papa Bear and his family to the ocean for the first time in his life.
In his 85 years, Papa Bear has never been to the ocean. After touching the water, his face lit up and he smiled so big.
He kept saying “wow” over and over.
“Wow, this is incredible!” When asked what he thought of the ocean, Papa Bear replied, “It is more than I ever imagined.”
And we can understand why, because even after thousands of visits to the ocean, we still feel the same way.
Some people don’t mind if they don’t get to see the ocean. And then there are those who have always wanted to go but have never had the opportunity.
“My grandmother died last year, and she never saw the ocean.” “When I started cleaning up her room, I discovered a collection of small cut outs of beaches, mountains, and the sea (I guess it counts as the ocean?) that she had collected over the years,” Slevena said in response to a Reddit post about the ocean.
We can’t speak for everyone who hasn’t seen the ocean, but we’re thrilled that Papa Bear, who had always wanted to go, was able to make the trip.