She Magazine JULY 2016 | Page 127

IF I COULD CHANGE THE WORLD: We all know that the world is our physical home, but we also have heard that our home is wherever our heart is. With most people, their heart is with their family. With the correlation between our physical and metaphorical homes, I would fund organizations that would provide free family counseling worldwide because healthy families produce healthy individuals who, with proper guidance, go on to make a positive impact on the world. For the other area of interest, I would give large donations to national parks to buy and preserve more land in order to protect our earth’s bio-diversity and to maintain God’s creation the way He intended. By focusing on these two sub-groups, I believe the quality of life worldwide will be what everyone dreams of it being. I think hope would be restored across the globe, and where hope is, happiness can be found. MY SUMMER TRADITIONS: My usual summer traditions are traveling to Cleveland, Ohio, with my youth group to spread the Gospel, helping out with Vacation Bible School, and staying at the beach periodically, either with my family or my youth group. HANGING TEN: Surfing has always interested me, but it would be Bethany Hamilton (the girl whose story inspired the movie, Soul Surfer) who truly inspired me to get into surfing. She is such a Godly influence, and she embodies the patience and perseverance it takes to surf. I went surfing for the first time about five years ago, and one of my best friends and I went down to Cherry Grove, South Carolina, to meet up with some of her friends who surf. I did not know that morning that I was going to learn how to surf, but after about an hour of being frustrated and being beaten by waves, I finally stood up and surfed my first wave…which was only for about ten seconds. However, the moment I stood up, I was hooked. After you get past the break zone where waves are constantly beating down on you and the roaring of the crashing waves is all around, everything gets quiet. You pull yourself up on your board, and you paddle. You paddle out to the lineup, and you paddle away from the shore and all of its problems. You leave one world and enter another. For the majority of the experience, you are wading and waiting on the next set of waves to roll in, and in this time of peace, I am happy. Usually, you meet other surfers, and you exchange small talk, but the real conversation is within the silence. Surfers appreciate this silence and just being out in the ocean. It’s kind of comical because sometimes you could be talking and then, bam! A clean set rolls in, and you’re off, mid-sentence. It’s totally okay because when the wave comes, you are going to follow. No questions asked. People, I’ve found, have a misconception of surfing, and I love being able to shine the true light on such a wonderful experience. Most people make fun of the “surfing language,” which we all know and usually laugh at, but it’s so much more than beach blond hair, a “higher than life” accent, and cute pictures. Surfing is a mentality, and I love being able to show this to my friends. I’ve taught about ten people how to surf, and all of them have stood up within the hour because I tell them first to let the wave take you, then to be patient and to paddle hard. The wave, as people learn relatively quickly out there, is much more powerful than they are, and they learn that surfing is really about going with the flow. Thankfully, the people I have taught really learned to appreciate the ocean and its power and beauty after their experiences. MY PLANS THIS SUMMER: My weekly plans consist of babysitting my neighbor’s two, adorable kids and taking a summer class, but my weekend plans vary from staying down at the beach with my friends to floating down the river or relaxing by my pool - all of which include some interaction with water because I’m completely a water person. I mean, I can’t help it - My mom was water skiing while she was pregnant with me! Katie Calder resides in Marion, South Carolina. She is the daughter of Abby and Ricky Calder, sister of Christy Turner, and aunt to new nephew, Blake. SHEMAGAZINE.COM JULY 2016 129