Through My Eyes

For a moment I shared her dream. A dream of getting away from it all and settling on an exotic island, living amongst the rich Creole culture and eating coconuts and mangos. I could almost smell that spiced ocean breeze as she zoomed in on the view of the ocean on her smart phone.

My mother always laments the fact that somewhere in our linage there is a distinct DNA relation to the gypsy tribe in our family. However I just can't help myself, show me a piece of turquoise water with a sprinkle of sand and I am packing my bags.

Recently an email from Thelma got me so ready to pack and fly South, it read,

"Hi there,

We honestly enjoy the articles written by Tomas. Not only the ones in The Bugle but in other newspapers.

As we are growing old disgracefully. So we want to spend our few years pottering in the garden, catching tilapia in our back yard and drinking grounded home grown coffee. All this while watching the sloth with her baby, seeing the toucans flying and watching it rain.

So we are embarking on a scouting trip to Costa Rica to find this small spot of paradise. But...We will have withdrawal symptoms if we can't read Tomas' articles every week. Please advise if he has a blog or a special site for this. Will be most grateful for a response. Thanks Thelma."

My response was: "Costa Rica is a place we discussed recently as somewhere to escape and live on a boat for a year or ten. What are you guys going to do there?"

Not long after that Thelma responded: "We seriously are looking at buying a place there, fart- arsing around and just stagnating.

My husband Shawn is a spring chicken in his late 50's. I am a granny in my early 60's. So already we are eccentrically different?

I call him Shrek and he calls me Thily." Thelma How I love You. Romance is not yet dead. Long live love.

"Shawn wants to keep bees, make cheese and become a carpenter. I want grow veggies and herbs, to walk in the garden after hours, feed (and catch) the fish and just to enjoy the evening after the afternoon rains.

The medical and dental facilities are also good and as you get older everything drops, boobs, bums hair and teeth:)

Unfortunately like every country in the world there is always corruption crime. The more poverty the more crime.

But they are an educated people and corruption will not spool out of control like it does here.

And crime the Caribbean side (need I say more) even has a serial killer. He murders prostitutes and addicts.. Jose the Ripper?

But in the central region all is good and safe. And did you know that Cost Rica does not have an army? They gave this up and used the money to pay for education and health

So what did you decide? Live on a boat in the future explosive Mediterranean?

Thelma"

Oh Gosh Thelma, your dream is so alluring, so close to my heart. Your spirit of adventure is so infectious; I wish I could join you.

It reminds me of Anais Nin's beautiful quote, "Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country."