Monday May 16, 2022
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge April 2018
"All my bags are packed. I'm ready to go. I'm standin' here outside your door. I hate to wake you up to say goodbye..." Leavin on a Jet Plane Lyrics/John Denver Recording/Peter Paul & Mary
It is always sad to say good-bye to the tropics. Or any beautiful place.
There is something about the balmy breezes, the lush vegetation, the heady scent of exotic flowers, the al fresco dining under graceful palms, the warm dips into tropical waters, the relaxing walks along miles of white sandy beaches while turquoise waters tickle your toes...something that is SO relaxing, so inviting, so nurturing..
It's a real blessing to spend time in the tropics and always difficult to leave. Leaving any vacation or blessed period of life is difficult. My Mom hated to leave vacation at the shore. Her soul would come alive wearing colorful shorts and lightweight clothes, walking barefoot at the waters edge, dancing joyously at the old bandstand, eating lunch at a salty clam shack, riding the carousel at the amusement park, exploring back roads with the convertible top down and her hair blowing in the wind,. My granddaughter had a long, long cry after her first beach vacation...just like her great grandmother!
Home is associated with cozy and security. But it is also associated with work, routines, chores and duties...sometimes too much. On vacation our heart sings, our feet dance, our soul is free and our eyes are more open. We are more willing to kick up our heels, explore and have fun. We approach life with a fresher, freer attitude.
It's not a surprise that most people associate Eden with the tropics. There is something very special there. The key is finding paradise wherever you go... As English poet John Milton once said in his famous poem Paradise Lost..."The mind is its own place and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven."
Find your bit of heaven wherever you are. See the beauty. Feel the beauty. Love the beauty. It is all yours!!
Enjoy the pictorial essay below of our trip home from one paradise to another... CLICK ON the first picture for slide show.
