We’re all here because we’re not all there!

There’s something to be said about people who live on islands.  When waking up to a chicken in your kitchen doesn’t make you think twice, you’re clearly better suited for island life than for cookie cutter suburbia USA.

The mail moves much slower from point A to point B, but that’s ok…we’re on island time.  Meeting up with your island friends and family to hang out at a gas station on Friday night is something you look forward to all week.  Yes, it’s a gas station and yes it’s a bar.  It’s ok if there’s a horse in your yard and it’s not your horse, he’s doing a great job with the grass!

It’s hard to say if your mentality changes when you move to an island, or if your mind was odd all along.  Whatever the case may be, one thing is certain; islanders are here because we’re not “all there!”

Living on an island like St Croix requires a person to possess a few key character traits aside from just being a little…should we say…different:

1. Flexibility – So, you just got back from your morning run and even at 7am the sun is still causing you to develop a stench comparable to that horse in your yard.  As you turn the shower knob on and prepare to wash away the au de barnyard you’re currently doused in, you hear the dreadful sputter of air coming through the pipes that only means one thing…the cistern is empty.  Better still, it’s Sunday…which means the odds of you getting a water truck to replenish your fresh water supply are slim to none.  Now what?  Do you start calling every water company on island and leaving messages explaining how this just isn’t acceptable and you NEED to have a shower because how can you continue on with your day if you don’t?  An islander would handle this scenario in any number of less dramatic ways.  For example:  After deciding that it would be a waste of time and energy leaving messages at the water trucking companies, the islander would then weigh their options:  1) Walk over to the neighbors’ house, explain that this dry spell over the last few weeks has left your cistern parched and you would gladly get them a six-pack of their choosing in exchange for a 5 minute shower.  2) You remember that the little rock you reside on is surrounded by 360 degrees of ocean.  Grab your bathing suit, hit the secluded beach down the road and spend some time with mother nature.  Or, forego the suit all together.  3) It’s Sunday Funday anyway, and your plans to go play beach volleyball this afternoon or sit by the pool at the local resort shall not be thwarted by your inability to obtain an actual shower.  Most of your friends and fellow Sunday Funday participants are more concerned with the fact they forgot their koozie than with how you smell.  For all they know and care, it could very well be them that stinks so bad.
2. Patience – Be prepared to block out a solid portion your day to do any of the following:  1) Doing anything at the motor vehicles department.  Yes, your ticket may say you’re number 7 and you’ve made it a point to arrive 15 minutes before the office even opens.  What you should have done is made sure you grabbed that book you’ve been meaning to read and a cup of coffee.  It’s going to go slower than you’d like, but there is nothing to be done.  The department employees will not be swayed in either direction, your ticket number is a suggestion as to your place in line.  Just don’t fall asleep, because if you miss that muffled calling of your number then you will indeed be skipped over and will probably have to add another hour to your wait time.  Breathe…relax…watch the muted CSI reruns on the television.  It’s the way it is here.  Once you’re a true islander you’ll look at an opportunity like this as a mini-vacation of sorts…a few hours where you’re only option is to read that book and enjoy it.  2) Post office transactions.  Remember when I said that the mail moves much slower from point A to point B because we’re on “island time”, well the line in the post office moves at the same pace.  The saving grace is that there are usually at least 5 of your friends in the line with you, which gives you a golden opportunity to catch up!  3) Mechanical work on your vehicle – The patience needed in this scenario can be applied to many other things about island life so pay attention here.  “We’ll have to get that off-island” is a common response when asking a mechanic how long the service on your vehicle will take.  It’s not their fault really…the boat that carries that mail I keep mentioning only moves so fast and is dependent on the weather being cooperative  Lucky for you, the island is only so big and you’ve got a pretty good chance of borrowing an “island car” from a friend who has most definitely been in your situation at least once while living on island.  If not, learn how to ride that horse in your yard.
3. Humor – At the end of the day the benefits of living on an island like St Croix outweigh the occasional test in flexibility and patience.  Being able to take the strange things that happen in your day and laugh about them over a cocktail and picturesque sunset is important.  Call it appreciation for your surroundings, being laid-back or what-have-you…at the end of the day you’ve chosen to live a lifestyle which affords you the opportunity to experience the good, the funny and the strange that comes with living on an island.  There’s nothing quite like it and anyone that lives on your little rock with you will attest to that fact.  So sit back, dig your toes in the sand and adopt the “no worries” mentality that makes this place shine.  There’s nothing that a little sun, sand and sea can’t fix here.

The point here is that we move to islands for a plethora of reasons that undoubtedly have the same origin.  We’re a different breed, and that’s ok.  We’re willing to go with the flow, slow down, laugh, transcend and flex with the daily comings and goings of island life because we ourselves are probably just a tad unorthodox.  We know we’re not all there…that’s why we’re here!