Catching Up

I missed this prompt while I was busy making travel plans. I thought I might just reflect on what was, by giving a glimpse into my awesome trip. This journey took me to my beloved island nation. The pandemic had rudely interrupted our plans as a family , so we had to switch somethings around. I went alone this time, but I was never alone. The sounds, smells, music, familiar chatter, smiles and laughter for days – set the tone for a most memorable vacay as soon as my feet touch ground.

A few hours after landing, I ended up at an all white beach party – a birthday celebration with my friend and long time pal. If you are ever in Kingston, Jamaica –checkout his perfumery where you can create your own fragrance. Just incredible!

I was able to spend some days at my childhood home with my mom and rest of the family. We treasure the moments we got to hang out on what we call a verandah, getting some cool breeze and catching up. My sister braided my hair — a skill that got lost on me somewhere.

Part of the reason for this trip was my high school graduating class reunion. We planted a few trees on the campus. This one was in memory of one of ours that we lost along the way. It was indeed a solemn moment; a reminder that our days are truly numbered. How we spend our days matter. Too often we invest time and energy in things that have nothing to do with our purpose and destiny. Make the days count. The God who created us did it with purpose in mind. We are not here by accident. Life has a way of throwing some curves that causes us to miss the mark. Thankfully , He is always there waiting patiently to guide us back to the places we’ve left empty and unoccupied. It’s never too late to make changes.

We toured our alma-mater, reminiscing on simpler days. Revisited the amazing views from our classrooms. I spent many days looking over these mountains. There were days when this was very calming for me.

Truthfully, I don’t think we knew what we had. In my senior year, this view was part of my therapy. I stood in this spot almost daily. We were blessed with a true oasis nestled in this little town where we left our footprints years ago.

Day 2 of our reunion itinerary led us to our physician-turned-farmer or farmer -turned-physician classmate’s farm. He is passionate about both so it’s hard to say. We had a cook-out, played some games, ate, reconnected, grabbed some fruits and the likes. Mangoes, guava, coconut, breadfruit, banana, avocado ( here we say pear) and then some.

The reason I don’t like bottled coconut water — I was made for this, the real thing. The mango on the table was left for later. I already had one.

We met up again the next day at another classmate’s grill and bar restaurant on his farm. Here we did it all over again. Food, music, friends and the making of new memories.

On the last 4-5 days of our reunion celebration, we all gathered at the same resort for days of fun, games, relaxation and more food. We even had field day ( otherwise called sports day) on the sandy beach front of the hotel. It was a sight to behold. The child in us awakened with a vengeance. Our competitive nature reminded us of the strong school spirit we still possessed. We’ll defend the ‘Blue and Gold’ until the day we die. We do love our school. This hotel became our playground, a canvas on which we painted lasting memories. Those that ‘don’t leave like people do’.

Blue, gold, and white were our favorite colors for the week.

This is was just quick look at what we all considered some well-spent days. We didn’t only roll in the sand and rough it on a farm. We got all dolled up too for a gala. That’s for another post. You’ll see us all fancy and tings! Can’t wait for the next time we make travel plans. Until then, as we say in our island nation – ‘walk gud!’