I lay on the worn leather of my speed boat. No cell phone, no magazines, no people, and no music. The only sounds that greet my ears are the genuine tune of the wonderful nature that surrounds me. The most calming is the soothing clash of waves as they meet the side of my boat. They cause me to gently sway back and forth like a child in the arms of its mother. The clear water sparkles in delight as the sun strikes its surface. I am too being warmed by this tropical blanket as it shines lightly upon my skin.


I drift swiftly skimming the ocean’s surface and I begin to look around. I can’t find much on my boat; I packed lightly, only bringing necessities on this journey with the waves. I remember once being told that you should pack your boat of life lightly; bringing only what you need – a simple pleasure like one friend or two; worth the name of course, someone for you to love, and someone to love you, but on my boat there is no one but me. Although I am physically alone, that is not how I feel.

          A swift movement in the sky strikes my eyes; intrigued I look up and I see a lonely seagull that dances elegantly, the open sky like his stage and he is the star of his own show. A dolphin breaks the surface jumping into the air cheering his seagull friend on with squeals of excitement and glee. A gentle warm breeze wrapped around me and once again the dolphin sprang from the depths of his underwater home. At this point he was accompanied by another fellow dolphin, his friend, his companion. As they dove back into the cool water they sprinkled me gently with the mist from their plunge. My face is now splattered with salty droplets of water. I find no need to wipe the water from my face as it cascades down my cheeks like rain flowing down a window pane.

          The sun sets bellow the horizon like a child sulking into the covers of its bed for the night, ready to rise early the next day. As it sets it casts a rainbow of colors. Purples, blues, and oranges glisten on the water around me. I continue to drift with the waves, allowing them to guide me on my journey. In the distance a small island appears from the lowering fog. The trees like and umbrella over the land, protecting its inhabitants. They sway with the wind together as if dancing for the moon, welcoming it into the sky. My boat drifts closer to shore and the sand crystals begin to sparkle in the moonlight greeting my feet as I leap from my boat.

This is the paradise within me; my mind, body, and soul and I live it now, in the present. As Buddha once said, “Do not dwell in the past; do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” This is my present moment and I am vacationing in the paradise within me.