Diving with Friends

The ocean has been great for diving this past week.  I had the opportunity to go twice. Once on Thursday for the rescue dive class and the other on Friday just for fun with a few of my diving friends.  We took our own boat out on Friday with 5 of us divers aboard.  It was a perfect day.  Flat ocean, low current and super visibility.

I  began scuba just this year.  I was hooked after my first time.  I developed a real rapport with my dive buddy, Dirk, in the open water course.  We took the advanced open water together and just finished the rescue diver course yesterday. Dirk and I stayed with the same instructor, Catalina Aponte through all 3 courses.  Dirk and I were terribly spoiled as we were usually the only students, but we received great instruction and one on one attention.  We learned a lot and laughed a lot, laughing at times at the language barriers that occurr when you have a Colombian instructor teaching in English to an American and a Dutch. All in all it was a great life changing experience.  It saddens me that Catalina heads back to Colombia this Tuesday and Dirk leaves for Holland in 2 weeks.  I will miss them both, but will never forget them and our experiences we shared diving and becoming friends. 

I have become enthralled with ocean life.  I have a creature list, a coral list and a dive log.  My newest addition to the creature list is the green moray eel....so ugly its cute.   I spied it first and grabbed my tank banger to get the attention of the others. I am backing up some at this point because out little friend is slithering out of the crevice he was floating peacefully in.  I sucked more air than I really needed to but my heart rate elevated some and I admit he was a bit scary.  My friend Don had my camera.

Catalina said it best about Fridays' diving.  It was perfect (don't forget the Colombian accent!)

Link Day

I am new to blogging so some of this technical stuff challenges me.  For example I just learned how to add photos!!  Ye-haw alert the media.  Today I am going to attempt to add a link.  After spending the entire morning writing and editing another project I desperately need to get away from the computer and accomplish some other things. So short and sweet today.   This is the link to the book I have a piece in.  It is to be released on May 3. The book is available on Amazon too.
       www.hcibooks.com/p-3991-the-ultimate-runner.aspx

Staying Sober in the Caribbean

What are the first things one thinks of when pondering the Caribbean.....beautiful blue waters, sunshine, beaches, palm tress swaying in the breeze...ah paradise.  Oh what about the pina colada in hand or a beer.....or some other tropical alcohol laden treat like mango madness, planters punch or the famous rum punch.  This picture wouldn't be complete without the drinks, right?

So how do I live here for six months of the year and stay sober.  Well it ain't easy.  Alcohol is everywhere.  In your face at every corner.  Fortunately I have a refuge....a beautiful home to stay at where I can create my own sober environment most of the time.  If my space at home gets invaded to the point of anxiety there is always the privacy of my bedroom.  However simple avoiding exposure to drinking situations gets pretty crazy.  I do not want to live in a bubble.  I have developed tools that enable me to cope.  I put my health first.  I look at my time in the Caribbean as health camp so to speak.  Rather than return to the States needing a body detox like many vacationers I strive to be in better shape from when I arrived.  So I run.  I do yoga.  I scuba dive. I explore new places.  I challenge my mind.  I follow self-healing philosophies. I befriend those without drinking problems with whom I have some common interests.  They are far and few between but so are good real friends.  I find there are days when those drinking around me doesn't bother me much.  Then there are days when I cannot stand it so I  find other things to do with my time.  It is a balancing act.

I believe anyone who truly needs to abstain from alcohol can do it.  Remember that sobriety is a choice. A healthy choice. It requires coping tools unique to each individual and healing from within ones self.