The Warm Winter

We all have choices in life. We can decide where to live. We can decide what home to buy. We can decide how we want to live our lives. But within these choices, there are also limits. Not everyone can choose to but a multi million dollar home, or to play golf every Wednesday. Sometimes previous choices in life help set our limits, other times there is little we can do toget outside of our box.

There is one piece of reality, however, that seems to get missed by the masses. That reality is that we can all have a warm winter if we so choose. A warm winter surrounded by refreshing breezes, azure waters, blue skies. I am referring to a move to the Virgin Islands.

I first arrived in St. John, back in 1991, with $1300 in my pocket. That was every penny I had earned in my life to that point. So it was a lot to me, and I knew in moving down here, that I was putting everything I had at risk. It would seem a huge move to most, but I looked at it as very little risk in the scheme of things. Of course it is never easy to move outside your comfort zone- staying in Boulder, CO, or St. Louis, MO, would have been "easier" for me. Closer to my friends and family. Able to jump in my car and go where I want anytime of the day. But I had a vision, and it included warm winters.

I have never regretted my decision, not even remotely. On the contrary, I am constantly reminded of how smart I was at such a young age. Friends call and tell me so (trust me, they never told me before I moved down here). Visitors tell me how Washington, DC, has had over 50 inches of snow this year. The part time residents of the VI bask in the glory of their island months, praising St. Thomas as if it were the God of Gods. And I feel it everyday when I wake up. It is the comfort zone of a warm winter.

So for those who are up in the States freezing their butts off this winter, talking about how cold it is, remember: You have a choice. You can have a warm winter. You may not be able to control the weather, but you can control where you live.