So as of today, I’ve been living on the island for a little over three weeks although it feels at least twice as long. Over the past weeks, I have been adapting to island life quite well. It’s a slower pace of life, one filled with a sense of general malaise and to never rush because you really have nowhere to go. It’s a simpler and slowed version of life, one that makes all the days blend together.

I officially “work” six hours a day for six days a week but during my “shifts” I blog, practice getting better at pool, watch different people play pool, edit pictures, read my books, teach myself about Photoshop, teach myself more Chinese, write and snag the occasional beer from the fridge. It’s a pretty demanding job. I have a lot of time on my hands. It feels like I’m back in college on summer break, I’m so bored but it’s fucking awesome. How many times in adult life are you completely bored to the point of seeing how many times you can bounce a ball with a buddy in a pool? Or seeing how many long you can balance a ball on a stick? Or how long you can hold your breath? Even though I’m bored out of my gord, this time on the island and this trip in general is still not lost on me, I’m still fully stoked.

All of this time on the island just lounging around and having lots of time on my hands makes me think what I want to do in my free time and what really is important in this life. The more I think about it I want more impulsive decisions, late nights, early mornings, homemade meals, skipped heartbeats, leaps of faith, unexpected kisses, near misses, lazy Sundays, warm weather and a cool breeze.

Living a simpler life does not necessarily mean living a second class life. You just need to eliminate anything that does not bring you joy, purpose, and fulfillment. For some people that is not entering the corporate world, for others it means living a life as a recluse in the mountains away from people and in nature, and for others its somewhere in between. Go after whatever brings you life.

Life is all about love, last minutes, late nights, early morning, impulsive decisions, near misses, unexpected kisses, leaps of faith, skipped heartbeats, lazy Sundays and remembering the only thing left to do is live.

I’ve been adjusting to island life quite nicely. Slowing down time to feel the music, smell the salty island air and taste all of the stories behind old dusty books. I’m fully enjoying the simplicity of living in the moment, feeling all of the hours passing by slowly; smelling the intermittent wafts of drifting smoke, lush vegetation, and sweltering humidity in the air. Spending my lazy mornings diving into dusty old books, devouring black coffee and blissfully dipping into a slower pace of life.