I dug my toes into the soft white sand and stared at the darkening sky. As my hands absentmindedly searched for shell pieces my mind replayed the memories of college, of the four years of my life that slipped so silently by just as the sand slipped through my outstretched fingers. 

A soft wind blew across the beach. The sun dipped its flaming hair into the water's borders. I heaved a ragged sigh, reminiscing the last time I walked these shores years ago. It was after a long day at the hospital undergoing tests and discussing treatments for my cancer. My parents had left more disheartened than ever when the doctors predicted that I would not live past my last year of college.

Ever since that day my life became a ticking bomb. Each day was another grain of sand that fell through the hourglass of life. Mornings were met with apprehension and nights were passed in fear. But today was different. Today I could think of life beyond the next check-up. Today I could watch the sun set and not think of it as the ending of one less day, but as the start of a new beginning.