12
Just reading a book about living there doesn’t qualify me to do so. Like a dumb person thinks they are smart, I think that having scoured the world for decades that: this is the spot. But, no spot is the spot. The best guides say the same thing I’ve mumbled many times: you still wake up to yourself.
What qualifies anyone to move to a different culture on a 12 by 5 mile wide tropical island with a little mountain in the middle of less than 2k feet, with less than 45k people. I don’t know, but I imagine it’s a lot like the 12 steps: the only prerequisite is the ability to be honest with yourself. And even if not so good at that, a wise sailor would say: even an inept sailor might have a safe passage, or; the most skilled sailor may be taken by mother ocean at any time.
This isn’t a casual visit. I’m going to build a life. A life that I’ve dreamt of, searched the world for, for many years. Freakishly unfreaky: a place I call home where I have fruit and vegetable gardens and pets, even a new family as in people in my local communities.
I can tell you a lot about a lot of people and places around the world, or tell you my progression over the years of my favorite ones and how those changed etc. But, all that doesn’t matter anymore other than giving tons of perspective.
What matters now is now. My head spins a little more confidently as the details fall into place. Coming in on booking guides consultation and island tour date scheduling, plane ticket buy and first weeks lodging and car, unlock phone, and last month before departure start buying panels and wires and tools to go to island.
That’s not an exhaustive list. Anyway, there are bound to be things that i might have known better about or expectations that turn out weird. Heck, people might assume I’m the ugly American and I just hope I handle whatever with some presence, some grace. Lord knows I’ll require some serious grace and key word presence pulling this off.