And away I go!

I hemmed and hawed but finally decided to take my friend Linda up on her offer to stay with her at a place she rents each year in Barbados.  But at first I thought about all the stuff in my apt. that needs to be sorted, boxed up and disposed of in what ever way seems most fitting.  Also, work has been a grand pain in the ass of epic proportion and I felt I needed to be there to keep face, and then I thought about all the complaining I do about not having any unmarried or un-intwined friends with whom I could go away somewhere with.  I realized this was EXACTLY what I wanted and needed to do. So I've got a cat sitter (honesty and opposable thumbs being the requisites for that job) to watch the beasties and I threw some clothes and a couple of books in my bag and here I am!
It's wonderful here. The air is fantastic even in the sporadic rain storms which I very refreshing and peaceful.  The land and the people are beautiful and the apartment makes my place look like a tiny little closet with a lot of cat hair.
Even lying in bed at night listening to the peeping frogs is a joy and fresh grilled fish and wonderful rum drinks is an idea way to nourish oneself!
I am still living sugar-free though I've been hitting the sugar-free candy of late and while I know it is no good for me and makes my tummy rumble, it fakes my mind out that I am eating something sweet so I don't cheat.  The only thing I am relaxed about in the sugar category is alcohol.  I don't drink much at all and especially not the way I did when I was a bar tender in new Orleans, so I figure it literally a treat that I won't abuse.
Traveling to the Caribbean always makes you think about what it might be like to live here full time.  The problem being is how one would make a living if they weren't already independently wealthy.  A writer or someone who worked over the internet could do so fairly easily, but motivation might not be something in great supply living down here.

Traveling with people can be heaven or hell and I've had some traveling companions in the past I wanted to dump in a swamp for the alligators to finish off, but I must say Linda has been a fabulous and generous companion and I super thrilled to be here with her.  It's nice to just to sit around listening to the night and chatting away or being silent with no pressure to be or do anything that what you already are.   Like a significant other or a  chiropractor, a good traveling companion is worth their weight in gold!  I enjoy people who are who they appear to be.

Life was so hectic and complicated before I left I thought I was going to lose my mind, but two days here and I'm already starting to unwind and feel like a 'normal' person.  I brought some books on Zen and a book called "The Mozart Effect".  I am looking for different ways in which to incorporate peace, calm and self healing into my life.  No easy job with working with a couple of real wankers 40 hours a week not including the 3.5 hour round-trip commute.  I would love to live a few blocks from work, but i don't wanna be so far from my folks, my good friends, and life on the wet lands which is my sanctuary as well as my self styled prison.  I love the wind, the birds, the sound of nature that make up the audio-scape of my home life.  In the warmer months when the landlords aren't  there, I leave the doors and windows open and let the sounds of the wind in the leaves and the communication of the animals be my sound-track.  A well placed wind chime also adds a lot to peaceful quality of the place.

Winter is quite and has advantages all its own but the shoveling of snow isn't a strong point for me and my back. I parked the car close to the road so I wouldn't have as much shoveling to do at the last big storm, but it was still a challenge and I was struggling.  After about 8-9 minutes of this my neighbor came walking towards my house with his snow blower and dug out my car and made a path to my door. I was very grateful and practically gushed all over him with my thanks.  It's very comforting to know there are kind, thoughtful people around you.  Appreciate it if you have good neighbors since bad ones can make your home, your castle a living hell.  Acts like the one my neighbor did for me and the invitation to come on vacation with my friend have really done a lot to look at humanity with a warmer and less critical eye.  So much of how we are affected by the world has to do with our level of gratitude. If we find a lot of things that we are grateful for, we find less things that make a serious problem for us.
With all that in mind, advertising and t.v shows such as "the Real Housewives of Spoil Bitch, USA" and other shows akin to theses, make people envious.  We're bombarded with things we're told we need or should have if we want to be noticed, cool, excepted, up-to-date, etc.  We look at these silly, petty, rich women and think, " I should have that house, those things, etc., not her!"  We see all the things on t.v. we're told we just gotta have or we even need.  It's a non-stop campaign to get us to go buy more, more, more!  None of it says, " you are wonderful the way you are and with what you already have."  I do understand keeping the economy going, but whenever I purchase something I purchase it because it's necessary for my life or if it is a luxury that will bring pleasure to me and my family/friends.  Nothing is purchased to show status or show off.  Envy eats at the soul and creates unrest and disharmony.  Having advertising and t.v. constantly filling us with these thoughts and feelings takes away from our happiness and gratitude and now that I am seeing how great an effect it has on us and our society, I wonder how others are dealing with the feelings it creates and how it has affected their lives.  Are they more dissatisfied after watching all these people flaunting their wealth and bad manners?  Does it sow deep seating envy into their lives where they become judgmental and resentful?  I think it must have some effect such as that and I bet most of us aren't even aware of it.