This I Believe, Jessica Lattanzi ‘23

I believe in sea glass. Specifically, the sea glass that fills the five crystal vases artfully scattered around my little beach abode. The vases are organized by color: one for blues, one for greens, one for browns, one for whites, and one for miscellaneous. We must give a home to hundreds of those little pieces of glass from over 15 years of collection. Ever since I can remember, my Mom and I have walked the beach in search of this treasure. Each time a glint of sparkling color caught our eye, it was procedure to stop and pocket the new beach jewel. We’ve scavenged through all seasons of life. Sometimes we were crying, sometimes laughing, sometimes just walking in silence. But after every walk, we invariably returned with a new piece of sea glass. My mom first started collecting sea glass soon after I was born. Being the ultimate beach bum, she had plenty of opportunities to walk the beach and gather it. But not because she saw it as a treasure. She saw the sharp, jagged shards as an accident waiting to happen. She saw it as trash. Just fragments of a broken liquor bottle from a crazy drunkard lost at sea. She must have cast hundreds of pieces of sea glass into the dumpster. To think, this beautiful treasure sitting in rotting filth alongside molding bread and rotten banana peels. She didn’t see its worth until she entered a local jewelry store one balmy July afternoon. Upon entering, a beautiful necklace caught her eye. It had a shiny silver chain complete with dazzling aqua stones. The woman behind the counter mentioned that it was made from sea glass found locally. Mom was astonished. The glass she had haphazardly thrown out actually held great value? Since that fateful day, she has seen sea glass in a whole new light. Now, it is her favorite beach treasure. To make up for the hundreds of pieces that she threw away, we collected twice as many. We bought sea glass jewelry, wind chimes, and even a wreath. It has become a pivotal part of our home and will forever serve as a symbol of my love for the beach. So, why the change? What separates something from being a worthless piece of junk to a valuable treasure? The answer lies within you. In the few things we can control, the little choices we make every day. The actions are simple. Is the glass half empty? Or half full? Is this moment meaningless? Or purposeful? Do you see life as sea glass? Or broken shards of glass washed to shore by chance? We can dictate the way we view reality simply by changing our perspective. I am eternally grateful for the little lessons my Mom has taught me, whether she realized she was doing it or not. I choose to see the random anecdotes of her life’s adventures as meaningful parables that will guide my steps into the future. Her day-to-day attitude is a perfect reflection of the very lesson I derived from this sea glass story. My mom never throws pity parties. She is known for her notoriously loud laugh and bubbly