1. After swimming at the beach, the memories will stay with you...but so does the sand.
Adam Ellis / BuzzFeed
2. The sea plays by its own rules, and it will embarrass you at all costs.
Andrea Hickey / BuzzFeed
3. You'll probably come out alive, but not necessarily clothed.
Maritsa Patrinos / BuzzFeed
4. It often takes a lifetime to find a swimsuit that actually fits correctly.
Charlotte Gomez / BuzzFeed
5. The bathrooms at the beach are always a complete nightmare, so you're forced to improvise.
Mike Hinson / BuzzFeed
6. Then once you get out, you face a whole other set of problems.
Adam Ellis / BuzzFeed
7. You start to rule out the public pool as a swimming option once you reach adulthood...
Maritsa Patrinos / BuzzFeed
8. ...and you can't even enjoy yourself there as a kid sometimes.
Mike Hinson / BuzzFeed
9. If you're one of those people who burn, you spend more of the day putting sunscreen on than actually swimming.
Will Varner / BuzzFeed
10. You're easily spotted on a crowded beach.
Maritsa Patrinos / BuzzFeed
11. It's exhausting trying to make sure you get an even base...
Loryn Brantz / BuzzFeed
12. ...but if you don't, things get slightly weird.
Charlotte Gomez / BuzzFeed
13. Maybe you and the sun don't get along at all.
Will Varner / BuzzFeed
14. But hey, hitting up the local lake is always a good way to cool off, right?
Andrea Hickey / BuzzFeed
15. Taking a lunch break is more stressful than relaxing.
Mike Hinson / BuzzFeed
16. And the rest of your time outside the water becomes a contest to conform to society's standards of attractiveness.
Mike Hinson / BuzzFeed
17. You become too preoccupied with the little things to fully embrace the day.
Loryn Brantz
18. Especially if the "little things" aren't so little.
Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed
19. By the end of the summer, you're honestly just proud of yourself for getting through it all.
Andrea Hickey / BuzzFeed
