It has taken us 3 seasons to finally hit the brakes a bit and put into practice the fine art of stopping to smell the roses.
Yes, that’s us.
This may seem laughable to some who think we are already going at a snail’s pace, but some cruisers no doubt roll their eyes thinking our speed is that of a delivery captain. But for us, we are trying to slow down and shift our approach to living this life more as it was intended. We have the gift of time so why not really take advantage and use it. I stopped spending most, not all but most, of my time in the new places planning for the next place.
Enjoying some underwater time.
This is especially hard for me because I love to plan, research and examine my calendar like it is the Zapruder film. This was put into play during our last stop in the picturesque Turks & Caicos, where we spent a month in Providenciales.
Not only did we take a last minute side trip to Haiti, we also enjoyed meeting some of the expat community and getting a small glimpse into their lives on this alluring island.
Enjoying a fantastic Syrian dinner made by Aida at Ben’s lovely home with neighbors from across the globe.
Celebrating Chloe’s birthday with half the island.
Best of all we had spur of the moment visitors which I honestly believe would have never happened if we’d planned in advance. Don’t worry I still love my iCalendar, but now I am filling it in more as a diary than an advanced planner.
Sailing on Neko 
That’s the thing about plans- they don’t always work out like they are supposed to do! Go with the wind and take it as it comes, matey! >
Looks like fun Mary and Peter! Glad you are relaxing and just soaking it all in. Cheers to all of your interesting adventures!
We had ‘Martinez Travel weather’ when we traveled there before we had a boat. Couldn’t go on any snorkel trips because of surf and swell. But we managed to have fun, the ease of getting around, with the locals stopping to pick you up, was awesome, but I was worried about the projected development… This was maybe 2007 when we visited. I still regret not buying a painting that was done by a Cuban artist that was hung in a restaurant, now I can’t remember how to describe where the restaurant was…
Oh, I will miss these kind of adventures. At least I have your blog to allow me some virtual experiences. Glad you are taking time to stop and smell the roses……………and or float in the water:)
Fair winds.
It’s been more years than I want to say since I was in there – Club Med still raising hell? The only time I got away from the Club was to scuba dive – wasn’t that great back then hope it has improved. Nothing wrong with planning Mary, just make sure you plan for smelling roses sometimes.