Happiness

We are definitely adjusting to life on the island and discovering that it is still just, well, life. People are the same here as they are in the US or Canada, even if they do have a different accent and a different lifestyle. The mold situation is looking up; we find fewer things these days and I'm able to keep on top of it with my trusty vinegar spray bottle and the sunshine. I've somewhat adjusted to the price of groceries, which makes it easier to buy the foods I want to eat rather than just rice and beans. ;-D I'd say we're pretty happy here, all in all. We seem to have a lot of family time right now, since the classes Jaron is taking are largely a fast-speed review for him of the classes he took in chiropractic school. That family time is one of the BESTEST things in the world.

However, in my head I seem to be compiling a list of the things I miss:

• family and friends
• shopping at more than one tiny grocery store
• window shopping at the mall
• having many fun places to take my kids
• cheap ice cream
• drinking water from the tap
• long showers and hot baths
• the need to wear a jacket
• a queen-sized bed (ours is a double)
• garage-sale-ing
• thrift stores
• craigslist
• driving on a highway (I know that sounds weird, but you don't top 20MPH here. Ever.)
• organized church (our 30-minute church at our friends' house is just...different)

However...I have also been compiling a list of things I already recognize I will miss when I leave here:

• friends and neighbors here
• beautiful sunny summer days 95% of the time
• swimming everyday
• fresh fruit picked from our yard or along the street (mangoes, coconut [fruit?!], guava, mammy fruit)
• the laid-back island life = no demands on my time
• our clutter-less lives: we have no excess "stuff" in our house
• seeing the ocean everyday from my house

So the moral of the story is this (and I've said this before): Life is about perspective!

Do you ever find yourself saying, "Oh, I'll finally be happy when..." HOW many times have I said this to myself?!? "I'll be happy when the baby starts sleeping through the night." "I'll be happy when Jaron's done collecting letters behind his name. ;-)" "I'll be happy when I've lost some weight." "I'll be happy when we just have more money." What I need to learn better is to live for now instead of always living for some distant tomorrow!