Island Dog

Good morning and welcome to the start of a new week!  As for me today, sigh.  Angel is beset with some mysterious malady on her back toes.  Although seemingly not in pain, she is clearly in discomfort - practically licking her foot off and pulling out the hair with her teeth.  My home remedy attempts aren't helping, so it's time to consult the professionals.  But, of course, no veterinarians practice on the island, and I don't want to travel to Nassau just to see a vet there.  For urgent cases, people can make a general call on the VHF radio to see if they're lucky enough to find a vacationing or retired vet cruising through on a passing boat, but it hasn't come to that for us.   Nope, looks like we'll visit Angel's vet in Florida; I was due for a Stateside visit anyway.

With all of this going on, I decided to remind Angel (and me) about how much she usually loves island life, despite this little setback, and focus a blog entry on her escapades.  However, a little blog entry just doesn't seem enough for Angel's giant personality.  Thus (see, the lawyer in me is not completely obliterated - who says "thus" in real life?!), I've created an entire page devoted to my Island Dog.  Enjoy!

TGIF and Thank you!

Good morning and welcome to your Friday!  Although I no longer groan "TGIF" with a heavy sigh of relief, Fridays still mean the end of the work week to me, so I still enjoy the particular lightness of weekends.  Weekends are when I might actually sit down with a book in the middle of the day.  Weekends are certainly prime time for fishing/snorkeling/diving excursions, visits to other islands to see friends and more social time with the islanders who have been working all week.  

I usually keep distance from my computer on the weekends, too.  I'm sure I'll be tempted to pop online more, now that I'm enjoying this blog and interacting with y'all so much.  BUT, part of choosing the better life means - for me - sticking to some of those boundaries that end up keeping life simple and a little more carefree.  So, if you write or post comments and don't hear from me right away during the evenings or weekends, please don't take it personally!  I'll respond to each and every one of you as soon as I'm back on.

I can't tell you how much your comments, follows, subscriptions, etc. are meaning to me.  Thank you for making my anniversary and blog launch such a delightfully fun day!  I'm glad we're in this adventure together!

Welcome to You, Happy Anniversary to Me!

Welcome!  Today is the launch of my new blog, Choosing The Better Life.  I am so pleased that you are here with me.  Together, let’s explore day-to-day island living through my eyes as a “recovering lawyer,” along with the musings that these life changes have brought about for me - all peppered with the striking characters, funny oddities and other random tidbits that cross my path or come to mind.  Thank you for joining me on this amazing journey. May you also choose the better life for yourself, however you define it!

Today’s blog launch is also a “Happy Anniversary” celebration.  Exactly one year ago today, I hopped on a small twin-engine plane bound for this tiny island in the sea, and I began choosing the better life for myself.  I had planned to stay about one week.  That turned into a month, which turned into a few months . . . All of a sudden, an entire year has flown by! 

I did make trips back to the U.S. – not the least of which was to close on the sale of my home up north, hurriedly sell off furniture and pack up the remainder into a U-Haul bound for a South Florida storage unit.

So, here I am, one year later, and I am as happy as a clam – err, conch.  Before I even bought a plane ticket south, I had planned to take a year off from work and had given notice at my law firm.  Although I didn’t dream that I would spend that year on an island, I did follow-through on my intent to JUST BE, to slow down the pace of life, enjoy everything more fully and trust that my path would evolve in a way that is best for me.  And, oh, has it ever!

The last year has been a joyful journey of nesting into my island home, making trips to old friends and new places, experiencing breath-taking views on a daily basis, dancing to rake-n-scrape bands, eating healthier, walking more, learning to drive a boat, snorkeling, being more active than my prior days behind a desk, hosting dinners, getting involved in the community, enjoying an island romance of the for-the-rest-of-my-life variety and so much more.  

One year and a thousand doubts ago, I took a leap.  I am so very glad I did, and I look forward to sharing this adventure with you as it continues!  Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll return.