What is it you see(k)?
An old piece of paper and a pen is all I have to scribble down some notes. A couple of minutes to myself before the airplane touches down.
No, it’s not me who’s arriving on Aruba, I’m the guy who found a comfortable spot, awaiting your arrival. The temperature just reached about 32°C (about 90 °F) in the shade. There’s a pleasant breeze, courtesy of the strong trade winds, and barely a cloud in the sky
Facing North there are hills filled with cacti, divi-divi trees, all pointing in the same direction. You’ll find iguanas, lizards, and birds. Green, yellow, orange, a lot of different colors; a sea eagle is also circling overhead, while two turtle doves are loitering a little further over from where I’m sitting.
Next to the runway the grass is all dried up, desperately awaiting rain. Closer nearby the few green blades of grass growing through the cracks of the cement are proof that life will thrive no matter the circumstances.
None of these things compare to the sight of palm trees, to the coral reefs in the distance, the mangrove trees growing on top of them. At the end of the runway there’s a bar with a cocktail waiting for you; your view will be the Caribbean Sea bordering the world’s most splendid white sandy beaches.
But these things are far away for me, out of reach, I’m at work. All there’s left for me to do is close my eyes, picture myself sitting there, take a dip into the water, cool off.
Enjoy it while it lasts
Home is where the heart is. Ironically, growing up in paradise I believed it was everything I ever wanted out of life. To go study abroad just after High-school, then move back and work during the daytime, and enjoying the late afternoons lazily at the beach.
The truth is a lot of people who live here take this life for granted. Forgetting a bad day in paradise is still better than a good day anywhere else.
The island lifestyle is an easy one; if you can accept this is who you are and you’re content with living comfortably in paradise — for as long as you wish.
Islander folk are hard workers, laboring in the sun for minimum wages isn’t easy. Overpaying to live on an island where people from all over the world flock too. And even so, they’re the friendliest people in the world; is there a reason for them not to be?
Many people here are faced with a dilemma; of choosing a different life and wondering whether it will be better than what they have now.
Living the beach life means finding sand in those places you least expect it, even days later. It means swimming, windsurfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, and sunbathing.
Sunbathing — the one activity I never enjoyed doing. For some people lying lazily on a beach all day long, tanning their skin to near-redness is epic. For me, it really isn’t. I adore spending my days at the beach, but they need to involve some actual beach activities.
Take me to a beach and I turn into a puppy; excited, curious, running around, noticing even the tiniest details in the sand or the ocean. Loving every second of it while I’m there.
But it doesn’t last, like everything else you go home, shower, sleep, wake up the next day, and go to work. It’s just how the world works.
So enjoy and appreciate where you are for as long as it lasts. Experience the present moment; for far too long I didn’t.
Don’t linger too long
Far too long I wasted time wishing I’d spent my time differently, I was filled with regret. Believing I’d made some mistakes in life, had failed somehow. I didn’t, and neither did you.
It’s a natural reaction to have at some point in our lives. One where you feel as if you can’t go into work one more day feeling this way. Doing one boring activity after another, and all you want is to take a break; go on vacation.
We’re worried about the direction our lives are moving in, worried about the right choices to make. We don’t want to fail, we’re scared of failure.
The truth is, there’s a place you can go to be happy, wherever you are in the world. There’s no need to be anyone else, nor do you have to be anywhere specific in the world.
For me, the happiest I’ll ever be is when sitting down, scribbling some of the thoughts that pop into my head. I close my eyes and take a couple of deep breaths, letting go of the stress I’m feeling. This present moment is calm, there’s less chaos in my head, more peace, and tranquility. A moment of mindfulness, there’s no need to solve all the problems in the world right this very instant.
I’m not telling you to write, you may be happier jogging, biking, or maybe you love gardening, some people even discover they have a passion for knitting. Whatever it is you try, make sure to be grateful for who you are; Instead of focusing on where you want to be in life, focus on what’s already there, especially when you’re not entirely happy with the person you are right now.
It takes some practice, it might take you some time to fix those worrying thoughts. But with small adjustments in some areas of your life, you can achieve and accomplish about anything.
Take action and don’t look back
All you need to do now is to start, love yourself for who you are presently, and take things from there.
There’s more to you than what you are now, even if you don’t believe so yourself. All your experiences have led you to this point, which means you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. Because if you’re not happy, it means you’ll be more willing to make a change.
Ask yourself why you want the things you’re wishing for right now. Would your life be different if you had them, or would you just want more and more?
If you’re certain you want something else in life it means taking action, work hard to get there, maybe even twice as hard as you are right now.
It’s entirely possible you’ll need to step out of your comfort zone to accomplish things you didn’t believe were possible. Ask yourself if you’re willing to let go of this warm cozy place you created; the place where you can whine and mope and feel sorry for yourself? Are you ready to possibly end up in the freezing cold, perhaps hungry and alone (metaphorically)?
If you’re not ready (yet) then practice some more self-love. Cherish what you have and find happiness within yourself. It’s not a small feat to move out of your comfort zone and embark on a new adventure.
And if you are ready, if you are like me, someone with ambitions, not for money or fame, but with a lust for life and living, ready to tell and show you how wonderful and magnificent this world is, then I urge you to take that next step.
I’ll do my best to cherish my inner puppy, the one who’s excited, notices the details in my surroundings. The one who sometimes feels overwhelmed, just like everyone else, and closes his eyes taking a few deep breaths to appreciate what he’s doing.
How about you? What do you see where you are now? Are you really seeking anything else?
