Stoking My Fire
Every ten years or so a friend of mine gathers a group of friends and heads out on a sailing adventure. First it was the Virgin Islands…then Turkey…then Greece. This time it was Tahiti! Talk about stepping away from your routine!
And then the question: “Should we go during a pandemic?” We all said “Yes!”
So we booked flights…no easy task. The trip was rescheduled once due to pandemic concerns. Finally we left on January 20.
Tim and I flew to Los Angeles where my daughter and her significant other welcomed us with open arms, treated us to delicious repasts, and sent us off in style to fly overnight to Tahiti.
We arrived early in the morning in Tahiti and immediately took another small plane to Raiatea Island where we boarded a sail boat for 7 days.
My eyes have never seen such clear and stellar waters…from deep blue one moment to deep turquoise and green the next. One can easily see why Marlon Brando and the artist Paul Gauguin found love and life to be so wonderful there. We loved our captain Hinono and our hostess by the same name. They made our time in the islands intensely memorable. They indulged my passion for vanilla and took us to a vanilla bean farm where we met Brian who explained the steps for growing and harvesting. Tahitian Vanilla is a must…and I’ll be cooking with it from now on (Tim says I brought enough back to last until I die :). And, of course, we wouldn’t miss the Black Pearl Farm, equally fascinating…especially the part where they use mother of pearl from Mississippi to begin the process of encouraging these clams to create black pearls!
Food was stunningly delicious. I’ve never been sure about raw fish, but now I’m a big fan…succulent and soooo delicious…tuna…scallops…with garlic, olive oil…and on and on.
I tell you all this by way of celebrating an opportunity to get out of a routine and embrace adventure. I have never been as out of touch with my routine…and as in touch with myself…moment to moment…as I was on this journey. Just the memory of allowing the ocean to cuddle me in its arms…floating in the warmth of the sun…trust me, it’s not the same as a float tank!
All this being said, finding ways to get out of our routines is always good for the soul. And we don’t have to go to Tahiti to do this. We can just take a day…or more…and tune out of the world and tune in to ourselves in other ways. Some of my favorites are being lost in fiber creations or word-smithing with Haiku.
Love yourself! Give yourself a Valentine’s treat. Drop out for a respite and CREATE!