We made it to Vieques, PR! We spent the week in Palmas del Mar getting a few projects completed, swimming in the pool, meeting some great people and waiting on weather. On Thursday, an amazing weather window opened so we headed out from mainland Puerto Rico over to Vieques. We spent the first night in Green Beach which was beautiful. The water was so clear you could see at least 30 feet to the bottom. Once we had anchored, we hopped off the boat and swam over to the beach. There were only a couple of boats in the bay so we enjoyed a private walk down the beach to the snorkel area. One thing about beaches in the Caribbean….most of them are not soft, white sand. This beach had rocks, shells and even sea urchins just waiting for unsuspecting feet. I had on my swim shoes but Mr. Tough Feet forgot his because he had his snorkel fins. I have been tweezing small, unknown prickles out of his feet ever since! Once we got to the snorkel site, we made our way out to the reef and enjoyed a leisurely float down the reef back to the boat. There were so many fish and different types of coral including fan coral and brain coral. As we floated by the neighboring boat, the captain asked if we had seen the manatees…we had not! I was sad to have missed swimming with the manatees but I am holding out hope.
I had a realization this week about goals versus dreams. Goals are something that we set and have plans to achieve. Goals have timelines and sub-goals. They are made up of definitive words such as “I will” or “by this time”. Goals are consciously made and when you achieve them, you know it and you usually pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Dreams on the other hand are whispers that occur in your mind. Sometimes you make note of them and remember them but most of the time, they just flicker in and out without too much acknowledgement. Dreams are made up of subjective words such as “I wish” or “someday”. In my life, I have set more goals than I can even count but it’s the dreams that sneak up on me and take my breath away. I think that dreams just slip away most of the time and when they do come true, we may not even take the time to remember that they were once only a dream. For example, I always had a goal to go on a trip to the Galapagos Islands. I planned and saved for 25 years and in 2017, I finally achieved that goal. It wasn’t until I returned from the trip and started looking at the pictures that I realized how many dreams had been associated with that goal. Dreams that were never consciously made but were there nonetheless. As I looked at my pictures, the dreams began to course through me and come to light. I dreamed of standing next to a giant Galapagos tortoise, there I was in a picture with the largest tortoise I could find. I dreamed of swimming with penguins and iguanas….there was the picture. I dreamed of seeing beautiful red sand beaches, picture. When I got to a picture of me lying on a lava rock where Charles Darwin had sat contemplating his theories of evolution, it hit me that moment was a dream I had not even known that I had! I could not help but wonder how many other dreams have come true in my life that I never even recognized as a dream nor appreciated them when they came to be. This week, as we crossed over to Vieques, a dream moment hit me. Bill and I had set many goals to accomplish our Caribbean adventure. Research a boat, buy a boat, take classes, study information online, read books, etc. Goals that were easy to track and were achieved. Not until crossing over to Vieques and dropping the anchor did a dream-realized hit me. Before we left the States, Bill and I always watched the tv show “Caribbean Life” (aka House Hunters in the Caribbean). Whenever the program would show a shot of boats in the bay, Bill would point and say, “There we are!” and we would laugh and keep watching. Many of those episodes focused on the island of Vieques. As we dropped anchor in the bay of Vieques, a rush of excitement came over me as I realized that dream had come true. We were officially the boat in the bay! I also learned this week that while there are goals and there are dreams, there are also things that happen in life that fall into the “well, I would never have even known to think that was a thing” category. Such as, you ask? Well, see if you have ever thought of this one….strap your butt into a small, flimsy seat called a bosun chair; attach that chair to the halyard that runs up the mast (halyard is the main line that lifts the sail); have your partner pull the halyard to lift your butt 35 or 40 feet off the deck as you swing around the mast like a carnival ride; attempt to get close enough to the radar dome to write down the serial number on a piece of paper (by the way, there is a reason that birds don’t write things down on paper); change plan and attempt to call number down to partner; note that number is so scratched that at least several letters have to be guessed; decide to take phone out of pocket and attempt to take pictures of the serial number while gripping mast with legs; forget to take pictures of the top of mast view for blog; partner lowers you carefully back down the mast to the deck and everyone sighs in relief….yep, never saw that one coming in life! The good news is that we were able to successfully retrieve the serial number with the phone pictures so mission accomplished! This next week we will be adventuring on Vieques (which is so small you can see the entire island via golf cart). Then, per requirements of the US Virgin Islands, we will be getting another swab stuck up our nose and making our way into the Virgin Islands via the small island of Culebra….all within five days of getting the test for The Stupid. Obviously, the powers that are making up these rules have perfect weather all the time and travel faster than 6 miles per hour! It is what it is! Have a wonderful week and be sure to take a few moments to watch out for those dreams that sneak up on you so they don’t just sneak on past.
1 Comment
Rebecca Smith
3/15/2021 04:08:17 pm
This is soooo good and has perfect timing.... I'll be pondering for the next few days! I'm really trying to slow down and take life in a bit more these days! Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Can't wait to see more pictures!!
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AuthorSally Miller Archives
May 2024
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