Paradise is in the Eyes of the Beholder

Recently I went on vacation to the tropical island of Jamaica. During this wonderful vacation, I had realized something that I wanted to share with all of you. That is, “paradise is in the eyes of the beholder”.

My vacation began like many other past vacations. I woke up before sunrise, scrambled to finish packing, forgot something I could not remember, and then was dropped off at the airport where I was to catch a wonderful plane that was going to whisk me away to my warm tropical paradise.

During our ride to the resort, we passed by a couple of towns in Jamaica. Just as I was looking at several beaten down shacks, that some natives called home, I heard another passenger mention something to the driver. She said, “Do you know you live in paradise?” The driver then replied, “Yes, that is why I don’t leave here”.

I thought to myself, “Are they looking out the same windows that I am? Aren’t they seeing what I am seeing?” I wasn’t seeing a paradise. All that I could see where very poor conditions; run down shacks and buildings. I began to wonder if the resort we were being taken too was just a type of “mirage in the desert”.

Then, something occurred to me. Who was I to feel sorry for all those natives who lived in those shacks or worked in those run down buildings. In fact, many of the people I saw near and in those shacks appeared to be well dressed and happy. Many had smiles on their faces.

I realized that many of them probably agreed that they do in fact live in paradise. Jamaica is full of so much foliage and beauty. Every shade of green represented in every tree or plant. Many beautiful and exotic birds and animals roamed the wooded hills of the island.

Then I knew, I wasn’t looking at shacks but at homes of others who may very well love their land and enjoy their “homes”.

We all have the ability and choice to see the “paradise” that lies around us in our environment. Whether that is a plethora of trees and wooded areas, a sandy beach partnered with an ocean, a snowy winter wonderland, or a withered and small structure that has been called home to its occupant. Each of us has the ability to truly see and feel the paradise that does exist around us. We just have to choose to see it.