OK, it is a major shitty winter here in the Northeast. Dealing with fucking snow up to my ass daily is growing very old, very quickly! Living in this god-forsaking City doesn't help either. Rush to catch the train, rush to be at my desk by 9, rush to the 10 AM meeting, rush, rush, rush.... I'm fucking tired of it I say. Do you hear me! Sick and tired!
Well, it was just another crappy Monday morning. I awoke only to learn yet another 26 inches of the white shit fell from the sky overnight. The day's rush ahead would require more rush because of the snow. Fed up, I contemplated calling out from work for the day, but the bosses would not like that. Pissed now, I turned on the radio.
The radio announcer just stated that the winner of the "Winter Escape" contest would be announced in three minutes. Damn, I'd forgotten all about it - I'd entered that contest several weeks earlier, but I guess with all the rushing about it just slipped my mind (but more likely, it was just another senior brain fart).
So, I listened intently to that radio announcer drone on about what the winner would receive: a four week all expenses paid trip to a private island in the Bahamas for the winner and one companion, and a cash payment of $1,000,000. I looked down at my Golden Retriever Leo, and asked if he'd like to spend a month at the beach. It must have sounded good to Leo because his tail began wagging a mile a minute.
It was time for the announcement. I crossed my fingers, crossed my toes, hell I even said a prayer. Then it happened - I couldn't believe what I was hearing, my name, on the radio, I WON!!!! But per the contest's rules, I had to depart 3 hours after the announcement of the winner...the radio station would be sending a Limo to pick me and my companion up at Noon.
First order of business, call my boss and tell him to stick my job where the sun don't shine - check. Pack - check. Wait - check. Leo and I were ready for our adventure.
Noon came and so did the Limo. A 2 PM flight to Nassau, on time. 2 PM came, the plane moved into position and I said good bye to the crap City and fucking snow for good. Leo and I had no intention of ever returning.
6 PM arrival at Nassau, deplaned into 78 degree sunny, absolutely beautiful weather and the wonderful sight of no fucking snow. Leo and I gathered our bags and took the 1/2 hour Limo ride to the boat waiting to take us to our Island paradise. It was a beautiful 45 minute sunset 'cruise'.
We arrived and were greeted by a caretaker who showed us to the most beautiful beach house one could imagine. He instructed that everything was more than well stocked and that a boat from the mainland would bring provisions weekly. He bade us good evening and left - now Leo and I were alone...and enjoying every second of it. I had a night cap and Leo some iced water. Off to bed we went for tomorrow would be a day filled with exploration and discovery.
We awoke early and discovered the island was indeed tiny. But really now, what more did the two of us need. We have a beautiful beach house with a pool and hot tub. A perfectly well stocked bar. Refrigerators and freezers jam packed with food of all varieties. And, most importantly, the most beautiful private beach I ever saw in my life.
Leo was happy, he was acting like a puppy again, he loved playing in the ocean. And I was in my glory, a hammock at the beach, a good book in one hand, and a neat bourbon in the other. Watching Leo play in the ocean reminded me how much I did not miss the crowded City (and all its fucking snow).
Three weeks went by and it was decision time. Well, for me, it was a no-brainer. I used some of the cash I'd won and bought the island - paradise was now ours!
It is such a great feeling to have put the rush, hustle and bustle of City life behind us. In a sense, we escaped from civilization. Our world became a peaceful, unencumbered place where enjoyment could be had by the simplest of things. My personal favorite (besides the white now being sand instead of fucking snow) is laying back in the hammock, undisturbed, enjoying the noise of silence, the companionship of my dog, and the absence of the city multitudes. Relying on no one, self sufficient, daily peace and quiet, no rush - oh, it's a wonderful life.
It was our own little world off the beaten trail. In the great scheme of things, my little island was a microcosm to the macro world out there. But for Leo and I, the island was our macrocosm, it is our own little self-contained world needing nothing or no one else for perfection. The joy derived from this island world is immense, so who needs the outside world with all its problems and troubles. Leo and I found our peaceful paradise. What more could a man ask for?
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[Author's note: Not one bit of the above is true. But one could dream. Can't they?]