When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.
-John Lennon
Every morning I wake up and can’t believe I’m actually living in paradise. I look out the window and all I see is the clear blue sky, sun shining, and the deep blue sea. I can see the ocean from every window in our house. It’s amazing. It still seems surreal that I actually live here, and that this is my life now. I have found my happiness, and it’s on a beach, by the ocean. I wonder why more people haven’t figured this out yet…
I meet a lot of people who are in awe of what we did. They can’t believe we quit our jobs, sold our home, and moved to an island with no source of income and no plan. It’s not that I didn’t have a plan, it’s just that my plan has always been to just do it and see what happens and figure it out as we go along. To me, it’s not that impressive. It’s just what I do. I’ve always been an impulsive adventure seeker. I get bored easily, and I was bored with life, so I made a change.
That’s not to say that I don’t have worries and doubts. I worry all the time. I worry that I’m not good enough, not smart enough, not pretty enough. I worry that I’m not going to be able to make this work, even though I’m already doing it. I worry about money, even though I have plenty of it. The key is to not let all that worry and doubt get in the way of finding your happiness. I’d rather try and fail than not try at all, because, as the saying goes, 20 years from now you’ll be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.
I’m not sure yet if this island thing is long term, but as of now, I can’t imagine a life where I don’t get to play on the beach and swim in the ocean every single day. There’s just something about being in the ocean that makes all of your problems melt away. And look how happy this dog is! How could I take this away from him?
February 23, 2017 at 10:14 pm
Rosco is smiling in every picture. He’s a happy beach dog! I wish he were here to sleep on my bed, but he might get sand in the covers!!!
February 26, 2017 at 10:25 am
The honesty, bravery, trust (in yourself and each other), is the substance of what dreams can become, that is, reality. You two are an inspiration, and definition of what it means to let go, and embrace humanity and simplicity.