As most of you know my sport of choice is hiking. But, what most of you may not know about me is that I have spend over two years of my life on the beautiful island of Dominica, The Nature Island of the Caribbean.
This rugged, and unspoiled island houses some of the world’s toughest hiking trails including the grueling Boiling Lake Hike which Emil and I completed in less than 6 hours.
Though I must warn you…This island is not for the faint of heart. Life there is difficult and it will change you. My time in Dominica changed me. It showed me my strengths and weaknesses and forced me to confront my inner demons in order to figure out who I truly am.
But, the most important lesson that I learned in Dominica is that material possessions do not improve one’s quality of life. Life is about family and friends; It is about enjoying the small pleasures of the day and co-existing with nature, not striving incessantly to change nature in the name of “development”.
When I first arrived in Dominica I perceived the locals as being extremely poor, and yes, I even felt sorry for them. But, as I became familiar with the Dominican way of life I realized that they led extremely rich lives. In fact, they lead far richer lives than many people in so called “developed” countries do. That was when I began to feel sorry for my people: those Americans who spend their mornings in rush hour traffic instead of hiking in a luscious rainforest or those kids growing up in America’s inner cities who are literary miles away from nature. Example: A park with trees and a lawn.
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May 27, 2010 at 6:49 PM
My cousin recommended this blog and she was totally right keep up the fantastic work!