Priorities & Slow Season Sunsets

Where Have I Been?

In the last four months, I have published a paltry four blog posts.  Sigh.

Since the flurry of Regatta season, I have been dashing from one thing to the next, with a great deal of travel as well.  I touched on some of this in an earlier blog post, and I am delighted to report that all health issues are seemingly resolved, and my family and I are in great health and spirits.

Where Am I Now?

I am also delighted to report that I am happily home on the island and enjoying the slow season.  And it is blessedly slow!

Despite the heat, tourism still bustles during the summer.  The warm water is luscious, fishing is fantastic, lobster season is a great draw, kids are out of school and people are on vacation.  Even after hurricane season officially starts (June 1), we remain busy on the cay.

Once school starts, however, and the heat drags on and hurricane season cranks up, things finally slow down.  Like now.  And the locals, myself included, love it.  Much as we rely on tourism for the local economy (and for getting me to this Better Life in the first place!), it’s wonderful to have a break.

• Excessive golf cart traffic disappears, and we have the roads back to ourselves.
• Water and air traffic slows, as does the noisy buzzing from boats, jetskis and planes.
• Beaches are empty (and they were pretty sparse to begin with).
• No waiting at the restaurants and bars.
• With a slower social pace, we spend more evenings at home – good for healthier eating, less drinking, better sleep, more leisurely conversations and overall home comfort of being in a slow routine.
• When we do go out, it’s lovely to spend time catching up with neighbors and locals – the only other folk around.

After hurricane season winds down (it officially ends Nov 30) and the holiday season nears, things will crank back up around Thanksgiving.

And, by then, I’ll be ready for it!  I’ll be ready for the return of part-time residents and regular visitors who have become dear friends, the onset of parties and social events, meeting new and interesting people from all walks of life and parts of the world, browsing the boats and megayachts that dock at the marina or anchor nearby, and the general buzz of activity and vibrant pulse of island life.

“Island Busy” and Priorities

But for now, I revel in the slow season.

And, actually, even during “slow season” the pace of any given day is still brisk.  It’s still regular Life, after all, not vacation!  I remain “island busy” with the usual homemaking, cooking, cleaning, dog duties, helping with Beau’s office work, etc.  But I am also making time to get back to my various personal and professional writing projects, and that’s been nice.

I’m giving more attention to these priorities while I can because I know when things pick up again – and they will – my priorities will shift once more as well.

So, yup, I only wrote 4 measly blog posts in the past four months.  And while I wish it could have been more, I’m not stressing about it.  I could have written more, but when Life is on a hectic pace, I feel less inspired to write.

More significantly, my Better Life means maintaining that elusive “balance” as much as possible, even when – or especially when – things get frenzied.  For me, that means focusing on what is most important to me and letting go of other things when I get too pressed.  This is in stark contrast to my keep-going-until-it-ALL-gets-done Type A former self.  The self who was NOT leading her Better Life.

So, it means still knocking off the computer as the work day winds down and spending my evenings with Beau.  It means letting my blog post go unwritten, or letting other blogs go unread.  It means taking the opportunities to go out on the boat on the weekend, rather than staying home to do other things.  It means dropping everything else and traveling to be with family when they need me.  It means keeping health a priority, even if it means extra doctor visits and annoying hassles.  It means still nursing a slow cup of coffee in the morning over a daily devotion/meditation and enjoying the sunrise.  It means still appreciating every single exquisite sunset.  It means making the most of every day.

Speaking of Sunsets…

So, with that, I’ll leave you with a few images from an evening earlier this week.  As Beau and I cooked dinner at home, I snapped a few shots from the back deck, as the sun waved goodbye and danced through the clouds into the sea.

Sunset Beauty

Sunset Peace

Sunset Magnificence

Sunset Contentment

Sunset Majesty

Sunset Serenity

Sunset Grace

Sunset Bliss

Amazing, right?!  And these photos were all taken within a span of just five minutes.  Mother Nature is a spectacular artist, every single minute.

And now, back to laundry. 🙂

What about you?  How do you shift priorities in your Better Life?  What things do you let go and what do you keep foremost?