Happy Anniversary

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Fourteen Years ago today, I got up super early, moved my few pieces of remaining furniture out to the driveway for the Salvation Army to pick up. I gave my next door neighbor my house key. Then, on my hands and knees, I puked in my bushes in the dark.
What was I doing? I didn’t even have a key to my own house any more.
A friend picked me up in my old van that I sold to his business. And took me to the airport.
As the plane took off, and curved over the Chesapeake Bay to head south, I looked down out of my window at the familiar land and I actually cried. “I Failed” I thought to myself. “Ten years here, I have a house, I had a good job, I had everything but a wife and I failed!” I felt completely, utterly, miserable and afraid, wondering if I knew what I was doing.
The further south the plane went, the better I felt. When the plane descended into Grand Cayman I was so excited and happy I could barely contain myself. I started the day puking in my bushes and ended the day snorkeling off Seven Mile Beach.
It was one of the best days of my life so far. I have never regretted it.
For years before I moved here, I wanted to move back to the tropics. I wanted to stay in Hawaii after living there almost 5 years but fate had other plans. Then I was planning on moving to Belize, I was planning and thinking, going to the library, planning and planning, and thinking and thinking. For years. It only took a couple months to make the move down here, and it was action, not planning that did it. I made a phone call, for a yard sale, and sold everything I owned, a whole 3 bedroom house full of stuff. I made another phone call, Real estate manager. (I still have the house in Virginia, rented out). I made a call, airlines; airline ticket. I sold my car, turned in a letter of resignation at my long-time job. Very little planning, just actions. This a lesson I need to re-learn over and over again in my life. Now I’ve been here 14 years.
Sometimes I’m still miserable and afraid, thinking about the future and the unknown, but life is good, I’ve got the best wife ever and the best life ever and I’m glad to be here, and I don’t regret a thing.

The past is gone, we can’t do anything to change it. That’s why the past is called History.
We don’t know if we’ll be there tomorrow, or what’s going to happen if we are. That’s why the future is a Mystery.
All we have is Today. Today is a gift, that’s why we call it

The Present

0 thoughts on “Happy Anniversary”

  3. Awesome post, I am glad u did that because that's a huge part of u being here today, with me, living our life and looking forward to whatever comes next. I love you! Happy Anniversary <3

  12. Awesome story Mark.I'm so glad you were brave enough to just do it!And to think if you hadn't you wouldn't have probably met your lovley wife or live in such a beautiful place.