“We export happiness.”
Yes, Aruba, yes you do.
Situated off the coast of Venezuela, slightly south of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, this Caribbean delight is everything I’ve needed to escape a fast-paced world that glorifies busy.
Weather? 365 days of sunshine, guaranteed.
Gluttony? Five Star nom nom nom.
Beaches? Crystal clean and perfect for sailing, snorkeling, and kite surfing.
Safe? 100%.
Hurricanes? Not a chance! Aruba Island conveniently falls below the hurricane belt, and located just a two and half hour flight from Miami International, it’s no surprise its #1 economic stimulant is tourism.
Aruba doesn’t just import tourism; Aruba exports happiness.
Whoever said happiness is a journey and not a destination clearly hasn’t been to Aruba Island. Paths in life are not always happy. We feel pain, we suffer, we lose, we try, and we fail. Maybe some people experience this more often than others, but we all have to deal with some form of setback or loss. Emotionally defining life factors can be outside of our control, yet other influencers we can control also directly impact our happiness-scale. We can choose to be happy.
What are yours? What makes you happy?
Sunshine, the outdoors, scenic views, smile-with-your-eyes and-teeth people, being physically active, and trying new things top my list of happy pills.
Therefore, Aruba makes me happy.
I had put my emails on hold and ninja rescheduled my meetings for a spontaneous trip to the Aruba Marriott TRADEWINDS Club.
Above all, travel is a form of self-love.
Here are three more reasons why we all deserve adult playtime:
1. We should be working to live, not living to work.
We spend anywhere from eight to eighteen hours a day working, not to mention other forms of home cleaning, organization, and trivial obligations that can feel like more work than our actual jobs.
So yes, whilst spending a third to half of our adulthood working is a reality, what’s the point of financially progressing (or surviving) if you aren’t managing to enjoy yourself along the way?
2. If we don’t take care of ourselves, who is going to take care of us for us?
No one can love you unless you love yourself. No one can make time to work out for you.
No one can force feed you tranquility.Click To TweetIf we should treat others the way that we wish to be treated, we should first set the standard with ourselves.
So treat yourself.
Find spiritual, mental, and physical stability.
Pictured: Stephanie Be at Vela Windsurf – SUP Yoga
Rest. Sleep in. Gorge. Indulge in your partner.
Recommended:
“Dinner in Bed” at the Screaming Eagle Restaurant
Balinese Massage at the Mandara Spa
3. Time is irreplaceable.
As a child spoiled by Southern California’s “seasons,” I used to think that everyone in the world gets a sunset.
Well, not everyone gets a sunset and sunrise. People spend entire seasons in darkness or sunshine. Others have the glowing, setting star just outside of their window, but forfeit the view daily. As time slips through their fingers, they wake up one day and realize they missed too many sunsets. They surpassed a time they can’t get back to. They submit themselves to “glorified busy.”
So do it now. Meet the sun’s encounter with the horizon. Together, they serve as an icon to happy times well invested or time poorly spent.
What’s stopping you? How will you treat yourself?
You shouldn’t need a reason to justify your happiness. You deserve to be happy.
Life is short, book that trip!
Recommended:
Snorkel Sail with De Palm Tours – pictured: my new friend Stacey :)
Beach Tennis at Moomba Beach Bar – pictured: new friends Gale, Alex, Josh, Jen, Lisa, myself and our beach tennis instructor.
How do you treat yourself? Show me! #TravelBreak for a chance to be featured!
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Aruba is beautiful! I heard such wonderful things about it!
Thank you for telling us about this interesting experience!
Next year I plan to move to Aruba, I bought an apartment in Harbor House (www.harbourhousearuba.com) beautiful and at a very good price, I will work in my area, I will earn a little more money and I will take my family with me. I’m very excited, it’s a huge step, but I really love Aruba!
Good luck! Enjoy Aruba!