Brooklyn to Bequia – Why Wait for Paradise?
There are very few memories that are ingrained in your mind and can be played back like a movie scene. This was one of mine. Over spring break in 2014, my mom and I went to Belize to reconnect after my first 6 months away at university. We rented a hefty manual pick-up truck and drove up and down the southern coast of the country taking the days as they came and soaking up the slow pace of the country’s off-peak tourism season. We were driving back to our villa blasting the local radio station with the wind whipping through our hair and spiraling around my feet as they hung out the window.
I turned down the radio and began, “I might move here when I grow up...or at least somewhere like this.”
“Oh really?” my mom responded.
“When I’m old- like in my 40s or 50s with a family, I’m going to live somewhere warm and open up a scuba diving school, spa, and retreat center. I’m gonna do my instructor course soon and maybe I can get my husband to drive the boat around,” I laughed.
“Why not?” my mom responded casually. She looked at me over her sunglasses as we rolled to stop to allow some goats to pass. “You know you don’t have to be ‘old’... you can do that stuff whenever you want and wherever you want.” She paused. “New York isn’t the center of the universe.”
That moment sat with me then and sank harder as the years went by and graduation was just around the corner. Most of my friends had entry-level jobs lined up after college. As for me? I was planning to spend my summer sailing through the Caribbean as a scuba & emergency first response instructor before I eventually started my corporate job in the fall. It was at the end of the program that I decided I would take the year to save up money, live with my family, see my friends, then eventually make my way back to the Caribbean full-time. My dad is originally from St. Vincent & the Grenadines so due to citizenship and existing connections, moving to the Grenadines became an obvious choice.
That summer was one of the greatest learning experiences of my life. I laughed a lot, probably cried a lot more, and also met the love of my life, Paul, who inspired me to live a life of adventure and take my shot (sung in Lin Manuel Miranda voice a la Hamilton). Serendipitously, Paul had lived on Bequia for three years and was pretty established in the community. I visited him a few times to suss out the viability of making this country my home and went on interviews for jobs ranging from marketing exec to scuba instructor. By April, one hotel said they wanted to hire me but I wouldn’t be able to start until October pending approval from the owner. As my mom told me a few years ago, my life dream doesn’t have to wait until I’m older to come to fruition. It can start now. It can start with a somewhat developed plan. But it just needed me to pull the trigger and start. So, in October 2018 I packed my bags and moved to Bequia with a lukewarm plan for the future.
Fast forward, and one might say I am living the dream in paradise. I have become a full-time yoga teacher, my family and I own a soon-to-be AirBnB home (Ohana House - stay tuned for updates), I’m on the team to develop The Hub Collective (an arts & culture nonprofit on Bequia), Paul and I have become dog parents, and not a month goes by without a salty sailing adventure on our catamaran. Although I live in paradise, I’m not going to pretend like every moment has been perfect and it has taken a lot of luck to get here. Paradise is simply a state of mind. It has taken a lot of time for me to adjust to island life. Making friends has been a bit difficult, dining options are limited, everything closes at 6 PM, and when you order things from the States import duty is double the price of the items...ugh. However, I wouldn’t trade this life for anything.
The other day I recorded a podcast with a new friend I met on Instagram about my experience moving from a big city to a little island and why I decided to do so. Honestly, I think it’s my non-conventional way of thinking that has got me here. I didn’t want to wait for retirement to live in paradise. I didn’t want to work a 9-5 desk job. I didn’t want to have to complain about train delays because of snow. I didn’t want every day of my life to feel monotonous or lacking adventure. I decided early on what kind of life I actually wanted. Then said ‘no’ to everything that wasn’t that. Simultaneously that’s when my wellness journey started. I began to explore myself and serve and show up for myself in ways I never knew I needed. This sparked my desire to become a yoga instructor and wellness educator to share my story with people in the hopes that something resonates.
Wellness isn’t just about working out, eating right, meditating, or getting enough sleep. It’s about creating an environment internally and externally in which you can truly thrive. Do what feels good for you on your own terms. So dear reader, whether your paradise is in a city, forest, the mountains, or a beach, decide what kind of life you actually want and say ‘no’ to everything that isn’t.