As I sat in the Miami airport waiting
for a connecting flight I found myself reflecting on the quiet ease
that seemed to permeate our vacation in Aruba. Even Jayne had little
to complain about once she figured out there was WiFi in the resort
lobby. This trip, and the luxury of lounging on a white sandy beach
for a week, was something I had been looking forward to for months;
our vacations normally consist of hiking in a park or visiting family
with little down time. As we got closer to our destination I
reminded myself that sometimes when I build up an event in my mind it
can be sorely lacking. So, as our taxi approached the resort, I took
a deep breath and reminded myself to let go of expectations. I
reminded myself of this concept throughout the week when things
weren't going according to plan; whether we were waiting for a bus
that was late, eating a meal that I'm pretty sure was just pan fried
chicken covered in Pace picante sauce that cost way too much, or
painstakingly navigating our way to a shop only to find it closed. I
was determined to roll with whatever came my way this trip and then,
on our first day out, I saw a beautiful tropical fish that helped to
cement my resolve.
The resort we stayed at has a
private island with water taxis running every fifteen minutes to and
from the island. The island consisted of a small outdoor restaurant,
a cabana with towels and floats to borrow, another cabana used for
private massage, along with two beautiful beaches attached by
boardwalks spanning the lagoons and inlets. As we wandered around
the first day we stopped on a piece of the boardwalk that extends out
over an inlet of water. We stood still quietly looking down into the
turquoise water that is synonymous with the Carribbean and noticed it
was teaming with life. All sorts of tropical fish had come in away
from the open water. I imagined that, like us, these fish had come to
this island to rest where it was less turbulent, and one particular
fish caught my eye. It was about a foot long, bright blue, and
completely at ease in its environment. I observed this beautiful
fish floating effortlessly, moving with the small undulations of the
inlet as though it was one with the water, for what seemed to stretch
into hours, yet, in reality, it was just a few minutes. As I stood
on the boardwalk in that moment I realized that I don't take the time
to stop and truly see what is in front of me nearly often enough. I
practiced this “being in the moment” mindset throughout the rest
of the week and I can say it was the best vacation that we (notice I
wrote “we”, not just me) have had in years. I'm not sure if my
attitude was contagious or the island attitude swept us all away, but
it was a magical week, imperfections and all. I just hope to
remember this experience as life comes roaring back at me tomorrow. Perhaps I'll print out a copy of the tropical blue fish and put it on
my kitchen pantry for inspiration.
No comments:
Post a Comment