I lay on the sticky plastic. With the sun shining down so brightly, I have to force my arm to peel off of the tube. The sky is tinted slightly brown from the sunglasses resting over my eyes. I sit up and see that several fishing boats are around me; most are full of older gentlemen, but one nearby pontoon has a family with small children. One boy has a small sunfish dangling from his rod while his sister screeches at the “gross slimy thing!”

Shaking my head, I lay my head back again. The water has a cooling effect on my sore feet as they dangle in the almost chilling water. My bottom hangs below the surface of the water too, but the rest of me is exposed to the warming sun. My skin tingles in the warmth that seems ready to engulf my well-being. With my eyes closed, I let the rhythm of the waves take me. I can hear them gently hitting the rocks at shore, and birds are singing in the trees behind me.

The breeze rustles my hair as clouds cover the sun from above, and I hear the leaves quiver. I look up to find that I’ve floated near the dock. I stretch my leg out and I push myself out into the relaxing unknown. It’s unknown because I never know for sure what will engulf my imagination as I float in this way. My mind floats just as much as my physical being.