The Ancient philosopher Heraclitus believed that the universe is in a state of perpetual flux. He illustrated this with the idea that you can’t step into the same river twice, because the water’s always flowing and changing.
At its core, the saying is a reminder that change is an inevitable and natural part of life—in people, places, seasons, Relationships, cultures, even within ourselves. It’s both a warning and a comfort: things might not stay the same, but that also means hardship isn’t permanent, and Growth is always possible.
With that in mind, Cat and I are changing our plans once again. When we left for St. Kitts on June 7th, the plan was for us to return to Atlanta on August 30. While back in Atlanta, go to some routine follow-up doctor and dentist appointments. Visit with my kids both in Cincinnati and Atlanta. From there, go out to San Diego to visit my eldest son and Family, plus check out some coastal destinations while on the West Coast.
The big change to that plan is that this fabulous Marriott Resort Villa that we are currently renting is available until the end of December at a pretty reasonable rate, so now we will stay put until December 27.
Without a prior authorized Visa, you cannot remain on this Island Nation longer than 90 days. Most people just leave by ferry or fly to a nearby island overnight to get their passport stamped and restart the 90-day clock. We would have to do that twice to stay within compliance. Easier said than done while traveling with Cat, with her current condition. As an alternative, I will ask immigration for a waiver. I understand that, too, is done all the time, so we shall see.
I have learned so much caring for Cat over the 11 years, and while here I have learned that she is dealing with something called Cervical Dystonia. That is when one’s neck muscles start to contract. That draws the person’s head in the direction of the contracted neck muscle. As we all know, where the head goes, so does the body. That makes it very difficult for her to walk even with me or someone else’s help.
Using my trusty Copilot, Microsoft’s free AI tool, I was able to find some Exercise videos to help. She now also gets a 15-minute beach massage concentrating on her neck every other day, so she is back to her usual 5 miles each day.
Walking along the Atlantic Ocean beach adjacent to our apartment is her favorite. 1/2 miles down the road, we also take walks in the Caribbean Sea and in one of the three pools they have here. I get some laps in while she sits in the shade of one of the hundreds of Palm trees on the property. It has been a while since I have done that consistently. Takes me back to my triathlon training days.
If we follow all the beautifully landscaped paths within the Marriott complex, we can easily get 1.5 miles accomplished without retracing our steps. During the heat of the day, we lounge and walk on the 4th floor of the main Marriott Hotel, where there are plenty of chairs and couches in this uniquely decorated Atrium style space to take a break on when Cat gets tired.
Last but not least, 1/2 mile in the opposite direction from the Caribbean is the Royal St. Kitts Golf course, where they have over 5 miles of paved cart paths. They just ask that you are done by 7:30 am or don’t start your runs or walks until after 5 pm. I doubt seriously if we will ever be there in the morning, and many people get their steps in the much cooler evening. The back nine is my favorite as it is right next to the Atlantic Ocean, and there is a very challenging hill I use to get a great workout done, pushing Cat to the top.
I had to move several routine doctor, dental, and vision appointments, but since I have nothing urgent, that I know of, going on Health-wise wise that is no big deal.
They say people live longer when they live near water. You don’t have to go in it, and I can see why as we listen to the melodic tones of the ocean, while feeling the cool breeze of the trade winds, and the sand between our toes as we experience something known as earthing/ grounding, daily.
It is somewhat Ironic being here in St. Kitts at the Marriott for an extended period. I wrote about the possibility of one day living here in my blog, Can we live here. Also, knowing that whenever possible, we always stayed in Marriott-branded properties all over the world, and for us to be here at one now.
Without a doubt, this is the nicest Marriott, Hotel, VRBO, Apartment, Condo, Time share, and even home for that matter, I have ever stayed/lived in during my entire life, and I have stayed/lived in a lot of different places. Especially as we bopped around as nomads, moving every 4-5 days for the past 11 years.
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