op·ti·mism
noun: optimism
hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.
synonyms: hopefulness, confidence, buoyancy, cheer, positiveness, positive attitudeThat was the island on which we took up residence last season. The Isle of Optimism. Seaweed and rocks covered the path to the beach. The beer wasn't always as cold as it should be. The bartender was too drunk to pour by 2:30 on a few Sundays. All in all, it was still a refreshing and exhilarating experience. A new hope. And damn, it's great just to feel the sun shining on your face. A reprieve from the cold, dark place we toiled in for so many years. For decades we could walk down streets, cut through littered alleys, and still never find the beach. Now, when we squint through the binoculars, we can see a ship departing a beautiful island in the distance. It's sails waving softly, trees moving with the rhythm of the wind behind a well-groomed beach.
Could we make the voyage and claim this island as our own? It seemed impossible a year before, but as the season came winding to an end and time passed, hope was changing to confidence, confidence to near certainty.
par·a·dise
noun: paradise; plural noun: paradises
an ideal or idyllic place or state.
synonyms: Utopia, fairyland, Shangri-La, heaven, idyll, nirvanaThis is no mirage in the distance. Captain Dorsey sets the sextant down, grabs the wheel and says "time to go". He was ready to make the voyage. New shipmates were young, strong and ready to take on any storm. We pack the cargo, stuff the ship with humanity and push away from shore. Next stop: Paradise Island.
This isn't some place we're waiting to go. We're there NOW. "Hope springs eternal" has been replaced with great expectations. There will be waves that crash on the shores a little harder than expected, there will be a tropical storm or two that tests our resolve and preparation. But success
is a journey and embracing the journey is the
paradise within itself.
We will take up residence, enjoy the sunshine and cold drinks, lay on the beach and soak up the sun. We'll hunker down when need be, we'll learn a few lessons about island life. There may be a few Sundays when the cocktails are a little watered down, the bartender may even be too drunk to pour on a day or two (dude is a lush). But, barring disaster, we will make this island our own. We deserve it, we've waited our whole lives for it.
I look out through my beach house villa and see a few dipping their toes in the water, still a little apprehensive. "How did we get
here?" "Do we
really deserve to live this life?"
Yes. Yes we do. Jump in... Dive in and
swim. Wash away the past, "the past don't matter". Yes, we are awaiting the Great Island Party. The day all ships dock at shore and we finish a season with the ultimate celebration, that unconditional joy of a journey well traveled.
That day is in the future. But paradise? Paradise is
NOW.
As tribute to the dawg that caught first glimpse of the Isle of Optimism, before most of us dared to dream... I’ll end with this ...
LETS GOOOOOOOOOoooooooo 
