I am beginning to see the positives these days to my 04:30 wake-up routine ~that being, I can now sleep in until 07:00 on my treasured days off and still get to see the sunrise. Each day presents a different palette. There are the soft pinks, the fiery yellows, and the splashy oranges, but my favorite of all are the mornings when it seems like the entire world is made of silver and gold ~the sky, the sand, the flying fish that take to the air between swells, the water -and even the color of my skin, like a chameleon's, seems to blend in together with my surroundings.
The sunrise is accompanied by a symphony of birds, all staking out their territory on the same tree -the nearby banyan. My favorite local bird so far is the yellow-billed cardinal. They seem to have adapted from 'paradise' to 'tourism' quite well, and while I hope to catch sight of the more elusive (read: "endangered") birds on my next trek around the island, for now, I am quite content to watch these brightly colored birds forage amongst the bougainvilleas.
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| photo: jbs.blogspot |
Breakfasts, by in large, are comprised of my favorite fast-foods on the island. Having finally tasted a papaya that's been allowed to ripen in the sun, I've discovered that I do, in fact, find them quite tasty, and now, I am more than a little irritated that I've wasted so many papaya-eating years -all because somebody in the food industry felt it was a clever idea to market green, immature fruit to an ignorant public!
By mid-day, I typically try to go for a swim, but on windy days, there tends to be a high level of competition for water rights with the kite surfers.
Swimming is not without risk. If a novice kite-boarder blows into my path, it's all too easy to get 'hung up' in their sport! But most weekdays on the beach are quiet and relaxing -a nice extreme from the daily routine at the Park. So I treasure these days, and I try to soak up all the colors and sensory experiences that are inherently part of this island.
Lesson Learned:
Slow down ...and taste the papayas
