My Favorite Memories with My Father

Memories are experiences from the past that are stored inside our brains. They are with us forever, and what makes us who we are. We cannot trade them in, or forget some of them and keep only the ones we want. Sometimes, memories can destroy us, but they can also cheer us up, and most importantly, make us grow.

Some of the memories we have are clear, and we remember them as if it were yesterday, however sometimes they are mixed up, like pieces of a puzzle that we cannot put together. The memories that I have with my dad are fairly vivid. There are not many that I can remember clearly. Although most of the pictures that I have of my dad in my mind are a little bit blurry, there are some that are clear too.

As I look at a picture of my dad and I on holiday, it instantly reminds me of the time we spent together while on holiday in Mauritius. Soon after taking this picture, we find ourselves walking in the blazing heat, as we squint our eyes which are being blinded by the sizzling sun. The beach looks exquisite as the palm leaves sway in the breeze that has just come up, and the water looks just as beautiful and inviting. My dad and I are walking away from the kiosk where we have just hired a pair of goggles, flippers, and a snorkel. The waves break softly onto the shore, and the water begins to flow over our feet. The coarse, shell filled sand has found it’s way into our flippers, which is rather uncomfortable. As I immerse myself in the water, I can feel the calmness and placidity of the water, and the sand in my flippers doesn’t bother me anymore. My dad and I look at each other through our goggles, and smile. I could stay here forever, swimming, being able to breathe with my head under the water. Through the clear blue water, I can see the fish as they swim, and the crab that just pinched my toe. I have never loved anything this much.

Our fingers are now wrinkled from being in the water for so long, and all I can think about is where the next holiday destination will be, in which ocean will we snorkel next time?

I don’t remember much of what we did for the rest of that day. The itinerary of what we did is not that important, it’s the way I felt at the time, and the way I feel now that matters most. Our holiday was filled with so many exciting things to do, especially hiring different boats everyday. Why was it that snorkeling, of all things, was my favourite?

Now that I am older, I realise that when we went on the boats, it included my little brother and sister, as well as my mom. However the snorkeling was just my dad and I. It was not the snorkeling that I enjoyed so much, in fact I do not think I liked it at all. It was the idea of spending special, quality time with my dad that made me love it so much. I would do anything to go back and spend more time with my dad, even if it was only for a few seconds. Just to say I love you one more time. It would not matter how sore it would be when the shells cut into my feet, or how many times I would get pinched by a crab, as long as I could get to see my dad one more time.

The fact that my dad is not with me today, has taught me to take advantage of the special time that I have with the people around me. It is important to me that I treasure every moment that I have, and that I value the person that is a part of that moment. Regardless of fights and arguments, the people that I love hold a very special place in my heart.

Whether we like it or not, there will come a time where a person we know, will become a person that we knew, and they will not be here with us anymore. We often look back and regret the things that we have done, and more so, the things we did not get to do. It is important to live life to the fullest and to cherish the people that we surround ourselves with.

Life is fragile. It is filled with unpredictable moments, and you never know when you can lose someone that is close to you. I have learned to love the people around me and to understand that anything can happen within the blink of an eye.      

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