A February Birthday in Barbados: Wear a Sundress!
Happy birthday, island girl (uh, that would be me).
Never have I worn a sundress on my birthday. But I did on mine today because, lucky girl that I am, I get to live in Barbados.
My birthday began, as every day does, with a glance at the sea outside our bedroom window. Today I stood at the window awhile, amazed by the depth of the sea’s many blues, its vastness and serenity. Just think, the next land mass east of us is Africa, nearly 3,000 miles from us, nearly the distance across the U.S.
Hey, it's my birthday and I get to post any photo I want. (Taken in San Francisco by Rebecca Wilkowski last September.)
I remembered back to when I first started visiting Barbados to visit Greg. I’d awaken to the sea outside the bedroom window and think, “This is lovely, but it’s always the same … day in and day out, always the same.” Not nearly as impressive as the ever-changing view of the Rocky Mountains that I grew up with.
But appreciation grows with exposure. A piece of classical music, which sounds on first hearing like nothing more than a collection of notes, can become, with repeated hearings, a treasured melody. Over time, we become sensitive to nuances and complexity.
Same with the sea. I had almost no exposure to any sea anywhere when I first started visiting Barbados. And so I saw the sea as a big blue mass in a child’s drawing of the sea made with Crayons.
Today I see so much more than blue: I see comedic crabs, the varied texture of the rocks under our jetty, even currents and tides. I see – and even feel with my eyes – the motion of the sea; I’m so tuned in that I can tell when the sea is angry and when it’s just quite annoyed.
So, my birthday. Nothing much happened. My sweetheart took me to Mama Mia for lunch. Then I got my hair colored and had a massage. This evening, we stood on the jetty watching the sun set over the sea.
It’s February 3rd, it’s my birthday, and I’m in Barbados, wearing a sundress.
How old am I? Ahh, some would say 56. But that’s just 28US.
7 Responses to “A February Birthday in Barbados: Wear a Sundress!”
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This is a beautiful piece of writing. Poetic, even. So glad you like this little (imperfect) rock we live on…..!
Oh.. you forgot to say what your birthday present/honeymoon is — Carnival in Trinidad in two weeks’ time! (Anyone want to see photos of Janie dancing in the streets of Port-of-Spain?)
Greg, darling, no one wants to see such photos. And hey, mon, stop embarrassing me or I’ll tell post that driver’s license photo of you in the ’70s!
When I was in England, I was surprised to find that my February birthday was likely to be one of the coldest, most miserable days of the year. I’m happy to be able to celebrate in the sun once again. Belated birthday greetings!
Back atcha, Sharon, happy birthday to you! A February birthday in Barbados ~ well, there are two things to celebrate right there!
28US … I love that
I’m 39 … which is 44 and three sixteenths (in Imperial).
You’re young enough, Paul, to not mind your age being converted to a number that makes you older. I, on the other hand …. Well, you know the vanity of women …. So, for me, it’s 28US – that’s my story and I’m stickin’ with it. At least until next year …