Jetski in Barbados

Today is day 5 of our 30 Days of Gratitude. It’s amazing that, when we stop and think about it, we never run out of things to be grateful for. And it certainly changes our outlook for the day.

Today I am grateful for the time I spent living in Barbados and the lessons I learned while there. Five years ago, I had never ventured outside of the United States. It just wasn’t something I really had any desire to do. I was perfectly content to simply live in my little part of the world. My first venture was to the country of Guyana for work. It was a wonderful experience and I met some awesome people while there. When the company I was with began a program in Barbados, I made a few trips there to get things up and running. It was never the intent that I would live there.

During one 3-week stay on the island, I found myself in the apartment on a Saturday night. When I glanced at my watch, I realized it was 9:00 at night. What was amazing about that is that I realized that not once had I looked at my computer, checked email, or did any work. Remember, I’m a self-proclaimed workaholic. I had spent the entire day reading a book, sitting on the patio looking at the landscape with the sea in the background, doing laundry and watching a movie. And I was completely relaxed and content. I didn’t even feel stressed about not touching work things for the day. Thus the beginning of my time exploring how I could move there.

Balance and Values

The Barbadian people are hard workers, and yet they have the idea of balance in life really down to a science. When you work, you work hard. When it’s time to step away, you do that. I returned to work that Monday more refreshed and productive than I had been in a long time. Somehow my spirit knew this was something I wanted to be a part of, and I knew it would be a time of learning.

Take More Risks

In my short two years there, I learned much from the island and the people. I learned to take more risks in life. I found myself doing things I never imagined I would do (see the jet ski picture above). That jet ski was fascinating to me as I sat in a restaurant on the beach one day. It looked fun, daring, a real adventure, and yet scared me at the same time. After chatting with the operator of that machine, I took the risk. I did make him promise me he wouldn’t dump me in the water, not because I can’t swim, I can. I just really couldn’t imagine having to figure out how to crawl back up on that thing in the middle of the sea! The risk was well worth it. The feeling of the sea air, wind in my face, and the thrill of skimming along the water all created one really awesome experience.

Sacrifice for a Future

I learned what it really meant to make sacrifices for something you want. I watched as the students we had came to class every day, juggling families and work schedules, for an opportunity in this industry we are all in. While you might think that’s not such a big deal, not too many here in the States have to ride public transportation for an hour or more each way to get to our training. I watched families and churches pull together so that someone could quit their job to be in school all day long, for the possibility of a better opportunity. Keep in mind that to date there was no medical transcription industry here so they did it on blind faith that an opportunity existed.

Little Things Count

I saw real examples of gratefulness and learned that it’s often the little things we do that mean a lot. I will never forget a man who lived close to the area where we lived. He’s elderly, has no job, and supports himself by collecting bottles. Barbados still pays deposits on glass bottles, something we stopped a long time ago. Once after we had a get together at our house, we loaded up all of those bottles and took them down the road to him. For us, it was pennies; for him, it meant he would have food for a bit. Henderson helped him unload the bottles in our trunk into his shack where he lives. Tears came to my eyes as he came to the window of my car, looked me straight in the eye, and said “Blessings, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.” How often can we make a difference for someone and yet feel it’s just too little to really count?

Resilience and Unity

This week my thoughts are with those folks on the island of Barbados. They have been under a great siege with Hurricane Tomas. Many homes have been destroyed on the island. This morning I am hearing that the grocery stores will not accept credit or debit cards, only cash. Last week, their Prime Minister passed away and the country is in mourning over that. My husband has been worried about his friends and family and hasn’t been able to get through to some of them by phone. This morning, however, the phones seem to be working. He has talked to almost everyone and they are fine. In one conversation, I spoke to one of our friends. His words were this: “The wind did some damage, but we are all fine. Trees are down, but we are all pulling together to move them and clean things up.” And his last words were perhaps the most important: “It’s about unity. In unity, there is strength.” And that is how I know this little island will be okay.

And now, you’re up! What’s on your gratitude list today?