As we reach our golden years, it is customary to plan for that next stage of life. With the freedom afforded by retirement, many of us choose to live out a lifelong dream. In my case or our case, I should say because my husband shared the same dream, we were planning to move to a tiny Caribbean island and spend the rest of our days on Island Time!
I have loved the ocean from the first moment I saw it as a child, and each time I returned to it, the pull was even stronger. And now we were actually planning to make that our reality. It was almost too good to be true. I would catch myself daydreaming about walking in the sand, enjoying the sunset and diving as often as possible. We even set a target date for the big move.
But as that date grew nearer, my excitement and daydreams were replaced with thoughts of what we were about to give up. Our sons would be thousands of miles away, as would the rest of our family and friends. And there were many things that we were not going to find on that tiny slice of paradise in the Caribbean. Now I found was having some serious doubts. But the irony here is that so was my husband and once we talked about it, we agreed that our tiny island was just not the right place for us at this time in our lives.
What I learned from this huge life lesson is that your dream is not always going to become your reality, but your reality can certainly become your dream. I would be the first to say that I have a wonderful life, but I still always held onto the hope of someday living on an island in an exotic locale. However, when faced with the opportunity to make my island dream a reality, I couldn’t do it. I could not give up all that I have in my current life, my reality, to chase that dream.
I humbly realized that sometimes a dream is just a dream…some far off idea or place that is a distraction and a nice thought from time to time. My real dream is right here where I am, and all that I needed to do was to be wise enough to realize that fact. My suburban streets are not as scenic as the sandy beaches on the island and sitting in traffic in the city is not as much fun as pausing to watch a school of fish swim past, but our friends and family who are in this city and around the country, far outweigh the tropical allure that I thought I wanted. And I am simply thankful for the clarity that I have found which allows me to understand and appreciate that I am living my true dream.
I absolutely, completely love this and can relate to it entirely! This is my story, too, Kathy, and shows why what you write is so validating for those reading your posts. We are more alike than different, but in myriad ways—another paradox. Life today IS a paradox and this is what we’re all learning to navigate. Thanks for helping to lead the way with your own stories and insights.