In just four short weeks my wife and I will be embarking on a much needed journey away from the frozen tundra of the upper Midwest. We’re traveling to Saint Thomas (USVI) home of the island’s capital city, Charlotte Amalie. This will be our second trip there in as many years and it’s the kind of place you lose the worst parts of yourself in. By worst parts I’m referring to the strata of societal bullshit that, little by little, covers us all whether we like it or not. A place like Saint Thomas also forces you to slow down and refocus on what's truly important.
Last April was our first time using Airbnb so we had really no idea what to expect. We booked a room at a property perched in the hills called, Rich Rez. The place ended up being phenomenal.
We met some wonderful people and even made a lifelong friend during that trip. The Airbnb host, Lecia, has lived and taught on the island for the better part of forty years. With her suggestions we lived like a local for seven days and, truly, found it tough to go back to our “normal” hectic life. We’ve actually stayed in touch with Lecia this whole year.
Saint Thomas isn’t a place to go for those who want predictability. We had our hazing immediately. Our first experience after jumping in a taxi from the airport was to discover a good portion of the taxi drivers can’t read or write, they navigate by landmarks. We gave the driver the address of Lecia’s Airbnb and the driver promptly told us he didn’t know where it was but it was okay, he’d drop us off at a resort that he thought was close. We had a week’s worth of heavy luggage, mind you, and this is a volcanic island so the hills go literally straight up plus we had no idea where we were. Luckily and hotel staff member was ending her shift and offered us a ride so it all worked out for the best. She told us we should have told the driver to make a left after the gold Volkswagen Beetle.
So much has changed in my life in the past twelve months and all of that change is related to stepping outside of my comfort zone. Little did I know that shortly after getting back from Saint Thomas last year I would find a new social media platform called Steemit that would change my life in ways I’m still discovering. It breathed new life into my novel and my writing in general. Steemit helped us put a huge dent in our massive debt (which you can read about HERE), it allowed me to take a trip to Europe, speak at SteemFest, and connect with so many wonderful people on this platform.
This year our trip to Saint Thomas isn’t as much an escape as much as it is a celebration of all the good things in life. This trip is also a milestone in itself. This year our trip was made possible completely by revenue from Steemit and blockchain technology. While we’re there on the island we’ll be using cryptocurrency to pay for everything by way of our BitPay Debit Card. This makes me feel like such a rebel. I'm making it a point to consume anything I can read or watch about cryptocurrency and blockchain because I feel it's going to bring about a better future for us all.
Of course, I’m taking the trusty Macbook, and will be posting while we’re there. I also hope to get some work done on the sequel to my first novel Alarm Clock Dawn. What I’m learning is, with each post, I’m getting closer to living the life I’ve been dreaming about for the past two decades.
There’s so much for us all to look forward to in this next year and I feel so thankful and honored to be a part of it. Every life is peppered with both struggles and beautiful moments. Isn't it funny that, most often, the truly beautiful moments lie just outside your comfort zone? The great thing is they're still well within your reach.
*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and Blockchain enthusiast. My handmade poetry chapbook, Emancipation, is for sale on Peerhub for a limited time.
