Bahia Honda, Florida Keys
I am at one of my favorite spots in the FL Keys, Bahia Honda State Park, sitting under a palm tree overlooking the gulf side of the park. It is nice to stop for a moment. Sunday was great – speaking at Unity Center of Miami and seeing and connecting with old friends. It felt good to be on the platform again and doing what I love to do!
There is a saying that you can never go home again and in some ways I think that is true. I do not think I would ever move back to Miami permanently but it is nice to visit. It helps if we do return to a previous home to hold no expectations that things will be the same as when we left. Time does change things. If we expect things to be as they were we will be sadly disappointed however if we realize that change is a natural part of life, we can not only accept them as they are but also see new things with wonder and gratitude.
One of the reasons that things are different when we go back is that we ourselves have change. For example, When we were children we may have thought our home was big but seeing it through adult eyes, it usually appears smaller that we remember. If few have lived some where as an adult and then return, the person that returns is never the same as the one who left. Things change because our perception changes as we evolve.
One thing that does seem to be as wonderful as the last time I was here, is Bahia Honda. It is a state park located on both the Atlantic and the gulf. My favorite side is the gulf because it is less crowded, has palm trees to sit under and you can see both the old railroad bridge and the new bridge. The contrast of the blue water, green trees, and aqua water not to mention the perfect weather, made the day a special one.
Having left colder rainier weather where things were brown, the green and blue of the keys is a wonderful repreive. The bougainvilla plant colors are even more vivid than I remember but it may just be that my perception influenced by the past months of colder weather have made it all seem more tropical and special.
Anyway, there are many new places to see and new experiences and I look forward to them while apreciating some things from my past. I feel blessed to be able to not feel sad that some things are different and to see the beauty that is present here and now.
