Born or Bred?

I'm not sure if "island people" are born that way, or bred that way. Perhaps its a combination of both. I wasn't born or raised on an island, but I live on one now. I really feel like I belong where I am, at least for now.

We took a trip recently, it was short and relatively over scheduled. That's probably pretty common when one lives well over 1000 miles away from their families. Part of this little trip took us to a barrier island off the coast in the northeast region. I've been there before, and plan to go again. Its not terribly far from where I grew up. The town where I stayed has one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Its big and wild. There are no boardwalks, no amusements, no concession stands, nothing like that at all. What it does have is a very long & winding trek through gorgeous dunes to get to the actual beach. When you arrive on the actual beach, I'm always struck by the amount of space and abundance of birds. Its gorgeous. I took over 500 pictures just walking through dunes and on the beach (I'm a fanatic about beach fences, and love to photograph them at every angle possible).

So, one day I was there, I had no car. Mr. Happy Vegan had to leave in the wee hours of the morning and go somewhere for the larger portion of the day. I was on my own. After I had breakfast, I took a bicycle and went for a several hours long ride. I pedaled up and down almost every street in the town I stayed. This particular town is very historic and somehow has managed to keep quite a few of the centuries old homes in tact. Its peaceful and I am transported to a simpler time when I tour those streets. I then pedaled down the boulevard for miles & miles, looking at everything. This particular island has a lot of pride in ownership (or at least a lot of money to hire people to care for the properties perhaps). The architecture on the rest of the island is relatively modern. Lots of people have knocked down small homes in years past and built what I consider monstrosities. Still, many are unique and have quirky things around their yards, sweet messages painted on rocks, and so forth. On my bike ride, I encountered a few people (not too many as its off season up there, most homeowners & businesses are closed already for the season). Pretty much anyone I happened to encounter smiled and greeted me warmly. A few spoke with me about the things in their yards too. I met several "island dogs" who all seemed to have a familiar island lope about them, sniffing me and giving lots of loving doggy kisses. Pretty much everyone I encountered seemed laid back, happy and very present in the moment. Which got me to thinking.

Island people are island people. Whether we're on a tropical island, a barrier island, a very cold island, or something else. Island people seem to be linked to the present moment, have a connection with nature and often exude gratitude. These are all pretty good qualities, in my opinion.

I wasn't born on an island, and it took me a while to fall into island living. But I'm here now realizing every day just how special this experience is for me. I think being called an "island person" is really one of the nicest compliment one can give or receive. I'm going to have to make a point of visiting more islands. Its a dirty job, but someone has to do it.