I’ve recently had the urge to visit the ocean and it’s been on my mind so much that I googled “Why do I feel like I need to see the ocean?” … I know, it’s super weird but I read a few interesting facts behind the psychology of the beach and our brains!

I very creatively copied and pasted some quotes from the articles I read:

1. The ocean has calming affects on our brain, “Staring at the ocean actually changes our brain waves’ frequency and puts us into a mild meditative state.”
2. The noises — coupled with the visuals — activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which is “responsible for slowing us down and allowing us to relax and feel more engaged,”
3. When we're near the ocean, the mind switches into a different mode of engagement, known as the default mode network— The ocean activates creativity!
4. Standing beside a vast ocean or swimming in an epic lake brings inevitable awareness of this great, big world and your teensy, tiny place in it.

This past weekend we celebrated my nephew's 11^th birthday in the Bay Area. It's crazy to think that the same baby boy I held and sang nursery rhymes to is almost a teenager! Let me take a moment to brag about my nephew for a bit. He is one of the most amazing, outgoing, loving, and likable individuals I have encountered in my life. He’s also extremely smart, having been evaluated by a psychologist at the age of 8, he tested with the intelligence level of a 16 to 18-year-old.  He also ranked as “genius” in perceptual reasoning and one other scale. Ask him about space and he’ll tell you all about the cosmos, he’ll ask you if you believe there are extraterrestrials (and yes, he will use the term “extraterrestrials”), he’ll also make sure you are aware of the various theories behind multiple dimensions, and if you say something that is incorrect and false he will very politely say, “Well, actually, Uncle Kenny, that is incorrect” and then proceed to kindly inform you of what is accurate.

I recall him being 6 or 7 years old and him using words that would make us adults drop our jaws in awe. Not only did he know how to correctly pronounce these very advanced words, but he would also use them correctly in sentences. This shouldn’t have come as much surprise considering he was never the kid who would get in trouble for playing with toys under his blanket when it was time for bed; he would get in trouble for READING under his blanket when it was way past his bedtime!

I’m done rambling about him because I could go on and on. Plus, his head doesn’t need to get any bigger than it is.

I love you to the furthest galaxy and back MJ, and Uncle Kenny is so very proud of you!