In the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” Windex is the solution for any ailment according to character Gus Portokalos. “Put some Windex,” he said repeatedly.

My family says, “go in the ocean,” because we strongly believe salt water will make it better even if you lose feeling in your toes because it is so cold.

But maybe it is simply the shock of a cold wave rolling over your toes and then the refreshing sensation that follows that takes your mind off what bothers you. 

Family is visiting for the holiday weekend, and my cousin’s feet and ankles were swollen thanks to a bad reaction to a medication. While her husband encouraged her to keep her feet elevated, I encouraged her to go stand in the water. 

My best friend had a small run in with poison ivy on a white water rafting trip at the end of July. While her doctor prescribed steroids and a cream, we told her to go swimming. 

Last summer I had a head cold in the middle of August. While I just wanted to stay in bed and medicate, my dad told me to get my head under water.

And miraculously, when we all went into the water, my cousin’s swelling went down, my friend’s itching was relieved and my congestion eased. It doesn’t matter if the medication was flushed through her system or the steroids were alleviating the poison ivy or the cold was just progressing through my body, someone in my family is always there to say, “See, it worked!”

As I stood knee deep in the ocean last Sunday afternoon, I started to think about how many things I’ve complained about that my family has just told me to go swimming. 

The waves lapping my legs brought me to a center of peace and tension in my muscles released. I did not feel like diving into the ocean, but I also couldn’t draw myself away from the spot where I stood, sinking in the sand. 

While the ocean is fun for swimming and riding waves, it also has become a source of healing for my family. I’ve been raised on the beach and taught the cure-alls of salt water, but the mystery of it all still amazes me—and I’m guessing sounds crazy to some. 

But like the Portokalos family in the movie, every family has their own quirky belief for curing any and all problems. 

Even though Labor Day has come and gone, children are back to school and the day light hours are shortening, some of the best days of summer are still to come and some of the warmest waters are still in our midst. I’ll keep tip-toeing into the water until my feet can not possibly stand the cold any more, and then I’ll wait out the winter until the water begins to warm again in May.

— Emma Bouthillette