INTRO
The departure day arrives.
Having trouble sleeping, you start to get up with the anticipation of an
enjoyable time away from the hum-drum life that can consume an individual. You sort out the final details, making sure
your passport is packed, along with your camera, computer, books, and essential
things you need to go on your maiden voyage.
You take the taxi, bus, or car and
hustle away to the nearest airport to take you to your destination. You wait with such anticipation until your
flight is called, board on and leave on a jet plane, not knowing when you will
be back again (a nod to John Denver).
You arrive at your final destination,
check into a five-star resort or settle in a time share, get your luggage and
stuff together, and the games begin. The
question that is now asked to an individual is how for the next three or seven
days can one spend a summer vacation?
I happened to have had the distinct pleasure
of taking some down time to attend a wedding in a Caribbean oasis. After a smooth flight, I check into a five-start
resort, try to sort out some final kinks, and now the games begin.
So here is what I experienced myself
and in relation to others who I met on the trip. The Good, the bad, and the ugly of my summer
vacation.
THE GOOD
Overall, my trip to the Caribbean
Oasis called the Bahamas must be one of the most heavenly experiences that I
have had in a long while. I had the
opportunity of a lifetime to be pampered at a five-star resort hotel, coming
along with all-you-can-eat, drink, Wi-Fi, with top notch service, not to
mention the swimming pool and the beach.
After working for the past three years non-stop I definitely needed a
break, this time recharging my batteries in the Caribbean for a change.
The good that I have also
experienced while on vacation is the wealth of friendships I have made from
various parts of the world. People
ranging from the United States, Peru, Colombia, Belgium, Italy and other parts
of Canada to name a few. It literally
felt like home encountering multiculturalism when coming from a city such as
Toronto. Only this time I encountered
the world through my fraternizing in the lobby or kibutzing with passersby in
the elevator.
I also encountered a climate being
recharged by the creative wonders of my God and King. Walking along a sandy beach while the waves
of the glassy crystal sea crash at my feet.
Basking in the warm sun and seeing people bathe themselves in the beauty
of the tropics. I took a trip to the
Marine Aquarium at the Atlantis hotel and was drawn by the wonderful under sea
creatures of exotic fish, stingrays, and filter cleaning lobsters. This was a new nature. It is one of the parts of the great world
that God created for us to experience, encounter, and bask in.
The ultimate good, was what I came down for, a wedding between
two good friends. Seeing true love
displayed that is undefiled, pure, wholesome and good. Not about the physical or false
pretentions. Inviting others in the
backdrop of the Caribbean sunset to enjoy and witness an occasion that only God
can bring together in this day and age.
THE BAD
When it comes to vacationing, along
with the good comes some bad. I did not
experience a lot of bad, but there were some things that I have analyzed and
noticed when dealing with an all-inclusive vacation.
It became a little uneasy
encountering rich jock men who surrounded me and attempted to coax me into
getting drunk. I didn’t give in, yet it
is sad that there are people here who come just to get drunk, laid, and get
down and boogie, and not experience the pleasure of enjoying creation and
seeking wholesome relationships. It was
a bit uneasy, thinking that I am one ultimate party animal waiting to be
unleashed.
In a Caribbean resort, there has
been a lot of what I would call “sex-on-display”, or SOD for short. Scantily clad women. Scores of men showing off their buff, with
much bravado for all the world to see. Believe
me, if you are not careful, your hormones can rage quickly on a vacation like
this. Best to pray, and exercise some
God-given self control when participating in a Caribbean paradise.
THE UGLY (WITH A RAY OF HOPE)
The ugly I have encountered would have
to be what happens when all-inclusive accommodations are abused to its great
downfall. At the lobby bar, I
encountered this man who was obviously stone-cold drunk and wasted. Being prompted to serve him water and coffee,
after getting him such things he eventually pulled me aside and confessed to me
that he has an addiction to alcohol. I
just stood and listened to what he had to say and the history behind such
things. As a result I felt so bad and
sorry for the guy that it bogged my mind throughout the entire night. From that
moment on, I felt I had a greater mission before me in a post-modern
world. To really see people delivered
from such things and into a great gospel that sets people free from within and
heals them from the past. My prayer for
the addicted man is to find the God who loves him and seek salvation and
deliverance from such things.
CONCLUSION
It was a great time of relaxation, yet
also a great time of reflection.
Paradise can be a blessing for those who want to positively max it out
and really relax and charge themselves after years of hard honest work. Or if not careful, paradise can be a curse
that can only add to one’s downfall and demise if one is not aware.
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