Where is Paradise?
Posted on 16. Aug, 2010 by kchristieh in my life, travel
When I was in high school, a friend moved from New Jersey to Bermuda for several years. I asked my father if he’d ever consider moving there, and he said we’d become weak and lazy in such a nice place, and that we needed to live in a cold and serious place like New Jersey. Years later, when he and my stepmother decided to decamp for Florida each winter, I reminded him of his previous remarks. He denies ever saying them. I think he doesn’t want to admit to it.
I didn’t follow my father’s advice. When it came time to choose a college, I chose a California school with fantastic weather and a great engineering program. I stayed in California after I graduated, and moved south to even better weather. This past week I vacationed in Lahaina, Maui, and stayed in a townhouse on the beach. As much as I love So. Cal., this beat it.
But would I ever move here? Half of me would move here in a heartbeat, but the other half would miss my friends and family on the mainland. Technology and vacationing visitors would help, but several friends who’ve lived here have said that after awhile they got “island fever” and missed what they left behind. Of course, what makes this all a dream is that it’s expensive to live here and we wouldn’t have as many business opportunities.
Would living in Paradise make us happier anyway? I’m happy enough, so why mess with it? However, I’d love to wake up and see the ocean waves crashing outside, and to learn to stand up on a surfboard and paddle around and watch the sea turtles, and ride around in a kayak. I think these would enhance my happiness by making me more fit and relaxed.
Maybe some day I’ll test this out.
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