hike

Life is what you make it! You can choose to be  a victim of circumstance and have a pity party or you may choose to live life. I chose to live my dream, if you don't have one, I invite you to live vicariously through me. This speaks in particular to those afraid to venture outside their comfort zone which would enable them to experience new things. There's always opportunity to take the first step; start this weekend by attending the Flower and Garden show, the Heineken Regatta or come hiking with me. You have options pick one or do all three.

Because a picture is worth a thousand words, the below tells a story only you  can conjecture up. On a hike there's no telling what you will come across. 

 

 

recharge

Stop, find a quiet place, reminisce, resolve to improve self, be grateful for blessings.

friend with benefits

In our society there are acquaintances, associates, colleagues, contacts, friends, and then there is that distinctive category known as friends with benefits. Of the aforementioned, the latter is the most common as per my definition especially because the overwhelming number of my friends fall in this group. Here’s how I deduced such. Humour me for a moment and follow the logic. When my BFF explained that she was on her way to the Valley to pay her Digicel bill and was obliged to stop by a friend, to collect the remittance, to make a payment at the same place, it became obvious that this act performed by my BFF caused her friend to be the benefactor of her generosity and because it was not the first time the friend had asked for such a favour, she had without intending to, become a friend with benefits.    So last week when that same friend gave my BFF a sweet gourd, pommserates (sp) an avocado together with some sugar apples which she shared with me, my BFF became a friend with benefits to me. Similarly, the myriad of friends who bake me rolls, make me seafood pasta, makes lasagna and cheesecake, gives me various gifts, mow the yard at no cost, helps me build a bench or sends a spouse to make sure I am doing well and bring me nourishment for a cold, I could go on and on but I think you get the point.  Hence it is  abundantly clear that because I benefit from these friends regularly the extraordinary honour of friends with benefits should be bestowed on each and every one. Hopefully,you can relate.

The post today is dedicated to all friends with benefits. Malcolm, the ultimate friend with benefits, I salute you. Friends are always good to have but the Friend with Benefits at this juncture is sacrosanct and should be revived. Their generosities and thoughtfulness should never be taken for granted. Remember to always express genuine appreciation and to reciprocate in kind, live by example, be the benefactor. Always practice the golden rule “do unto others as you would have them do to you.”  Perchance you come across a different meaning of the term friend with benefits; ponder upon which is the more appropriate definition.

perks

Directly or indirectly there is usually a perk that goes along with the attainment of a status. For example the politician gets to travel first class, the celebrity gets the best table at the restaurant, and the head of department gets a telephone for work. Universally there are a host of other categories of persons and benefits to go along. Senior citizens, which include retirees and pensioners, have specific benefits and privileges bestowed upon them. These perks include discounts, exemptions and privileges.  In Anguilla, when your status changes to pensioner/retiree you get to stand in a designated line at the bank. That’s your direct perk. The indirect ones are left to society’s acknowledgement. 

In the absence of perks specific to them, the retiree can utilize the weekly 12% discount at Lakes Grocery on Tuesday and Thursday. Or use the MASA card to get a 10% off purchases at participating stores. Ashley and Sons, when you purchase, offers a point system which can be redeemed at any time. Best Buy also has a point system which can be redeemed at the end of the year. J W Proctors offers general discounts as well. However, if you travel out of Anguilla (there is a discount on airline tickets) to places like the UK and USA you will be able to access discounts to movies, for meals, ground transportation, medical and most services offered. In order to take full advantage of the range of benefits make sure that when you travel overseas you have identification attesting to your age.

overseas travel

Every once in a while a change of scenery is essential. It allows one to appreciate what one currently has. A place dubbed the playground of the rich and famous, is the ideal location to explore with curiosity, being neither rich nor famous, to see what all the fuss is about,  Choose a day as I did. The sea was calm the sky cloudless the perfect day to sojourn to foreign soil. An excursion on St. Barth.

Take the first boat from Anguilla to Marigot. Do not leave the pier the ferry booth is on the right when you exit Immigration. Take the first ferry from St.Maarten to St. Barth. Purchase a same day round trip ticket. The ferry returns to sxm with lots of time to take the 7pm boat back to Anguilla. For an affordable sum you can enjoy going over seas for the day. 

in danger of letting yourself go

So your body image is not what it used to be. For some of us that beer belly is expanding and the rolls around the midriff appear to have doubled overnight and morphed into a muffin top. The truth of the matter is that as you age things go south and that hourglass figure is now a minute maid citrus. The trick to keeping up is to bear in mind the saying “when life serves you lemons, make lemonade.”  Do the best with what you have. Buy a hairpiece if losing your hair is an issue; get a body slimmer if the belly jiggles too much. Colour your hair whatever shade you like, get a hair weave your ideal length or a tattoo, body piercing, nose ring or toe ring.  Do whatever it takes to make you feel relevant and good about you. Frumpy is a term that conjures up a negative image but chic has an opposite and positive connotation. Let’s think fabulously chic and present ourselves with confidence.

 You will no doubt come across those persons intent on  making you feel negative about your image; acknowledge but regal in the fact that they look far worse than you do. You have my permission to tell them just that. I guarantee it will render them speechless. I know, because I had to answer a few. The days of seeking others approval for your happiness are long gone. Create your own unique style, however quirky, step with confidence, step with purpose. When my BFF steps out these days she leaves home adorned in her fire red lipstick and blushes when complimented. I learned something last week when I overheard a conversation between two persons talking about the fact that they use to walk slower and appeared to be dragging but now when they walk faster they look and feel better. That made sense; there is a correlation between a purposeful stride and exuberance of confidence.  Hmm, therein lays the secret, I always get accused of walking too fast. Unknowingly I had been doing what these were just discovering. Far from letting myself go, as I pin today’s post feeling ridiculously awesome, I am adorned in my short red dress, salt water pearls, and sling backs. For no other reason than to attest to the fact that feeling good is self made.  

unplugged