Mermaids are said to be breathtakingly beautiful, mythical creatures with the upper body of a human and the tail of a fish. They often appear in folklore, literature, and cinema and have a reputation of luring sailor's to their death (but we'll ignore that fact). If you ever daydream about what it would be like to live forever in the sea and would give anything to possess a tail and a set of gills, you might have the soul of a mermaid. These other traits may also give you away.

1. While on the beach, it’s absolutely necessary to be barefoot

Though you’re wearing a winter parka and mittens, your feet must be bare the minute you step foot on the sand. Temperature and hypothermia don’t concern you. You need to be vulnerable to feel the touch of water as it rolls up to greet you.

2. You never tire of hearing your parents describe how you never feared water, even as an infant

They tell you about how you were jumping into the family pool as soon as you were able. Swim lessons started at the age of three, or sooner, and you were a master. The transition from kitty pool to pool happened quickly. You would spend hours in the tub until your fingers were prunes and the water was cold. You often imaged you were a mermaid trapped in a tank, waiting to be set free. Perhaps you had watched The Little Mermaid too many times.

3. Movies with mermaid characters are your jam

While of course, you love The Little Mermaid, your obsession extends beyond the Disney classic. In the late nineties, Disney Channel released the movie, The Thirteen Year, about a boy who discovers that he is the son of a mermaid and during his thirteenth year, begins his transition from man to a merman. Awesome! Isn’t that every mermaid soul’s dream? You love Aquamarine, but also don’t understand why Aquamarine would want to leave the sea.

4. Of course, you have a seashell collection

But your box of shells is not just a box. Each shell, or more than likely fraction of a shell, serves as a memento for each particular trip. When I hold this one brown and white stripped spiky shell in my hand, I am reminded of walks on the beach I did with my grandpa.

I always found the most beautiful shells at the beach near his house, though it turns out that those little treasures came with a little secret, but for the sake of maintaining the magic, I won’t expose that secret.

5. That feeling of weightlessness experienced while swimming is the best

If you are at the lake with a group of friends or family, you are the first one to jump in the water. You stay engulfed in the cool water until your fingers go numb and your lips are blue. You might even hold the record as the person that can hold their breath the longest underwater. You love to swim to where you can’t touch, dive down, and just let the water hold you. The only thing that would make this moment better: gills and a mermaid’s tale.

6. You could walk along the edge of the ocean or just watch the waves roll in for hours

Whether it’s the sunny beaches of California and Florida or the chilly, frequently cloudy Oregon and Washington beaches, it doesn’t matter. If you are anywhere in the vicinity, you find yourself drawn down onto the shore, no matter the weather. Once you’re out on the sand, moving closer to the waves, you instantly experience this feeling of peace. The breeze, with hints of ocean spray, flow through your hair and you breathe in the salty smell deeply.

You are home.