Winning Strategies

The African Chief's Stool

In a small village in Africa, about 2 hours from Ghana, lives a group of villagers and a chief. Today, I am wearing earrings from a beautiful lady that I met in that village. After my visit, she gave me the most valuable thing that she owned. I was humbled beyond belief (it is rude to refuse gifts in that culture). They are gold and modeled after the chief's stool. It is a symbol of power and priviledge. 

I was glad that we had been warned to bring gifts because the people would be generous with the little they had.  They are a generous and kind people.

Today I am thinking of my friends in Africa, and thinking about the vast difference between their lives and ours. Today I give thanks for my many blessings.  I'm wearing the earrings in the shape of a chief's stool  direct from Africa that represents power and priviledge.  Life is a wild ride.

Dream a Better Dream

Earlier today I was lounging on the couch watching Shark Boy and Lava Girl with Caleb. At one point in the movie, the main character asks what to do when your dreams are in shambles and all didn't turn out the way you had hoped. Lava Girl answers 'Dream a Better Dream'.

I encounter hundreds of people on a regular basis that have stopped dreaming. It is unfortunate. You don't have to wait until your kids are grown or you are retired to start dreaming. It is a healthy and smart tool that should be part of your everyday life.

Dream a dream for yourself that gets you into a position, place, or occupation that you want to be in. Dream about places you'd like to visit and things you'd like to have time for. When we are young, we are criticized for being dreamers. Let your mind exercise this thought process.

Last night I had the chance to see Ross Perot Sr. at the Art Ball. What an amazing man he is! He definitely had a dream that he pursued with a passion. I wish my camera hadn't malfunctioned, I would have loved to have a picture of me and this great man that made his dreams a reality. He is an inspiration.

Walt Disney was a dreamer. Even Michael Dell and Bill Gates were dreamers in their own respect.
Allow yourself to dream. Dream a better dream. Create a future that you will be proud to live in.

The Long Flight Home

So as we settle into our Air Tahiti Nui seats, we reflect over a fabulous time away from it all. It is an 8 1/2 hour flight from Papeete, Tahiti to Los Angeles.

Once arriving in Los Angeles, we struggle with airline staff on American that are either more tired than we are or just exhausted from the travel woes of weeks with re-scheduled flights in Europe.

We nibble on airport food and laugh over the trouble it is to 'use' miles anymore. They always treat you like you are an inconvenience after you spend hours and hours flying on paid seats to earn the awards. I'll never understand the mind-set, especially after booking over 2 million miles.

We mingle with other stranded passengers and enjoy each other's company. As a pair of busy executives, let's face it- we don't usually spend many lingering hours together. Every moment is usually filled with something.

We miss the kids and are anxious for our arrival home. Another fabulous vacation is behind us, travel woes and all.

Special Treatment at the Le Meridien

On our last day on the island, the Le Meridien staff set up a special breakfast table, facing the beach and Mount Otumanu.  The staff have been amazing.  They have taken care of our every need and created an environment where we felt cared for and special.

We filled our plates with the delicious buffet, enjoying the savory options and thinking about life post vacation.

The hot steaming cup of coffee seemed in such stark contrast to the cool breeze and the enlightening view.  Our vacation has come to its last few hours and we sit still pondering it all, in our fresh polynesian tans and laid back polynesian island attitudes.  In our new 'chilled out' demeanor, nothing seems to 'get under our skin'.  We are relaxed and at peace with ourselves and the world around us.  Whew, what a difference a couple of weeks makes.  I think back and laugh at how many days it took us to initially unwind.  I think it took 4 days to unravel the tightly wound stress and tidbits of a life lived too busy.

In retrospect, I'd like to carry a little island attitude with me everywhere.  I'd like to have a piece of me that says, 'no problem'. So as we lift off in our 3 planes in a few hours to arrive back in the states, I am feeling relaxed and ready to face the world.

The Last Day in Bora Bora

I'm up early (by 6am) and enjoying the view of Mount Otumanu. The sun is just cresting up over the horizon and with it comes a new day, a new gift of time to spend. I have lived an entire two weeks basking in the beauty of this land and it has refreshed my once very tired and overstressed soul. I feel refreshed. I have filled up my tanks to running over and can go out and touch the world without running on empty.

The water laps gently against the posts that are holding up my bungalow. A cool morning breeze kisses my cheek. The clouds bring in a few tropical sprinkles and I watch the cloud formation on the mountain. Wow, what a view.

Mount Otemanu's View from the Le Meridien

The view of Mount Otemanu from the Le Meridien Resort in Bora Bora is breathtaking. The Le Meridien has the best view of the mountain from any of the resorts. The resort has a quaint island feel that isn't masked by seas of corporate guests or hovering staff. A visitor feels like they are experiencing the treasure trove as it would have been 50 or 100 years ago amongst the luxuries of air conditioned bungalows and large glass floors that give you a view into the water below.

The beach faces you on one side, with a lagoon on the other. The lagoon is inhabited by hoards of sea turtles and fish of every kind. The experience is more of experiencing nature and enjoying incredible views than just 'staying' at a resort.
There are great pictures of the resort loaded on their turtle web site (http://www.boraboraturtles.com/us/imagebank.htm).  Enjoy the web surfing! Smile

My Last Full Day in Paradise

It is our last full day in paradise. Tomorrow I leave the island of Bora Bora and fly to Papeete (pronounced Pappy-ate-tay'), then catch a flight on Air Tahiti to Los Angeles and an American flight from LA to Dallas. The flights will take a day.

I take away from the islands a new sense of purpose, determination, and drive. A family member back home died of a heart attack at age 46, and I realize that we forge ahead unaware of our time left on earth. Each day is a gift, a chance to create precious memories, make lasting impressions, and spend the gift called time that we've been given.

I spent time relaxing, writing, blogging, hiking, reading, and enjoying time spent doing the things I love to do. I wrote letters to a few people- the old fashioned way--pen to paper. It's too bad that we don't communicate that way much anymore. I love writing letters. In our hurried lives, we even rush through communication- trying to 'hurry it up' and 'get it done'.

I take a deep breathe and try to burn the image, the smell, and the ambiance into my brain to recollect on demand.

The Sting Rays

 

The Islanders handle the sting rays with ease.  We swim around in the water with sting rays all around us.  The boat is captained by a father and his two sons.  They are an entertaining group, singing and generally just enjoying the day, the sun, and the views of the creatures in the water.  They know the sting rays and know which ones are OK for them to lift and which ones they need to leave alone.  It is all very intriguing to me, not being as much of a daredevil as some.

I quickly climb the ladder out of the water after this picture was taken and rest assuredly in the safety of being 'up top' and out of the water.  Sting rays definitely give me the heebie geebies.  Smile.  The water is so clear that it seems like pool water.  We are far out into the Pacific Ocean, yet the depth is only waste high due to a sand bar.  I soak in the view and try to paint mental pictures in my mind to recall at a later date (when I'm sitting at my desk trying to work) (smile).  Till later. (and until the next adventure).  Today is our last full day on the island.  Tomorrow we head off the island and back to the states. Nana (goodbye in Tahitian).
 

Relaxation

It is easy to discuss the importance of relaxation when one is- well- relaxing. The island pace is different than the pace of life in the states.
One islander told me "you have a watch, and I have the 'time'". Smile- tis true. They take the time to do things that we only imagine. We hurry and rush around while they have long conversations and develop friendships over lengthy leisure activities.
We bury our heads in our computers and our work and they teach their children to fish. It is definitely worth pondering.

Who has it more right? After 2 weeks in the islands- I am beginning to think that it is them (smile). I commit to taking more time with my children and my priorities. I commit to living a life of no regrets. Maybe we can have the watches AND the time.

Swimming with the Sharks

 

Our boat leaves the dock at 8 AM.  We shoot out into the Pacific Ocean, heading direct for the sharks.  Yes, you heard me right- we are going snorkeling with the sharks.  I'm feeling a little trepidation and uncertainty about swimming so close to forty or fifty sharks.  As we enter the water, they begin to 'feed' the sharks and the sharks come from all around.  They swim within 8-9 inches of us and I realize that I'm holding my breath.  I'm not daring to breathe in this uncertain underwater aquarium where I feel, well, just unsafe.  Laugh.

I have undergone surgeries on my back that were 10 hour operations that scared me less than this.  Grin.  I realize that I'm a giant scaredy cat.  Michael seems at home in the water.  He swims easily in and around the sharks as if they are goldfish.  They don't bother him at all.  I still can't breathe.  I'm terrified.  There are nnow maybe 70 sharks within view, all swimming alarmingly close to us.  The sharks don't seem to notice that we are there.  We are staying pretty close to the boat and they think we are the boat, I believe.

Little brightly colored fish swim all around us.  Wow, this is so incredibly beautiful.  Could this really exist all along, and we somehow just go through life not knowing it is here?  It is simply amazing.

 

 

Michael is much more adventurous than I and took a scuba trip to the bottom of the ocean to scuba with the sharks.  I thought that I was accomplishing great things by just snorkeling with them (laugh).  When I expressed concern over all the sharks in the water, the tour guide said, "You Americans watch too much TV".  Maybe so.