LAMU

I think I stumbled upon paradise somewhere between the Indian Ocean, a dhow ride and an island that has only one power generator.
Lamu is a lot like Zanzibar. Pristine beaches. Old Swahili architecture. But what's funny is that there are no cars. Well, ok, there are two. One of the which is the town ambulance. Donkeys and bicycles are the main source of transportation. If you have a motorbike, all the kids want to ride on it, fascinated with the idea of a motor. Time seems to move slower and people, slower still. If you really want to escape real life, this is the place to do it.
We took a dhow ride to Manda Beach, across the water from Lamu.
It was nice to have the little extra time to reflect on the last eight months. But of course, too much time to think can also be a problem. I wondered if I’ve done enough. For myself and for others. If I said all I wanted to say, in my stories and to people around me to whom I’ve grown so attached. Wondered if I stood outside my comfort zone enough these last eight months. Traveled enough. Told people just how good they’ve been to me. For some reason, I feared the answers would be no. That I could have done lots of things differently.
The sun was setting over the island, turning the sky a pastel shade of pink and making the water glimmer with hope. But that’s not where I found paradise. It wasn’t even in the warm water washing up against my feet as I walked along the large stretch of beach. Nor was it in the gentle grains of sand exfoliating my feet and squishing between my toes as I held my flipflops in one hand. It wasn't in the feeling that although I had chosen to hang back, isolated from the rest of the group, that I wasn’t lonely. I didn’t even find it in the perfect breeze brushing my hair away and cooling my skin. Or in the disappearance of the harsh sun, leaving now only barely enough light to see the loose divide between sand and water.
As I looked out at Lamu Island ahead, the water the only thing between us, friends to my left, a few candles alighting our boat to the right ... I found it.
I have been living my life in this amazing way since the day I arrived here. Every day is, and has been a blessing. And I know that. If I could go back and start again, there’s nothing I would change.
In that moment, I found it. My own paradise. A calm I haven’t felt forever. That if I died, right now, it could be right here. And it’s here I would want to be buried. And I would leave so entirely complete. I had traveled halfway around the world in search of something … that wasn't anywhere but right in the palm of my small hand. I might not be totally ready to go home just yet, but at least I can leave knowing I have something amazing in my possession. Something so many people never will. And something I never imagined in the beginning ... would lead me through twists and turns, smiles and tears, beaches and desert ... only to end up ... at my very own firmly-planted, strong and dependable two feet.