After a day in a Dominican hospital celebrating my Godson’s birth, I stopped for a mojito on my way home. That was on Oct 29th, 2019.
I never take photos of my drink, but it was a special occasion. Little did I know it was to be my last drink.
I returned to Florida in November 2019, not knowing I would begin the most challenging year of my life. Health, heart, and mortality consumed my thoughts the past twelve months.
Afraid of death, I totally stopped living.
Until this current vacation.
Apologies for my absence. I will be returning to blogging this week.
My last seven weeks have been filled with the hypnotic island music, sandy white beaches, and so many beautiful women.
Feeling healthy and happy.
I haven’t had a single drink, but I have been drunk on life…..
Basically, parts of my heart are not functioning as they should, forcing the rest of my heart to work harder.
The cardiologist confirmed my primary doctor’s findings, I probably suffered two heartaches in December.
My doctor wants me to undergo a procedure (in April) that should stimulate and revive these slacking walls. THE DOCTOR COULD NOT GUARANTEE this procedure will be successful. He also informed me that out of 1,000 hearts in the conditions that mine is currently in, 1 will not survive the surgery.
He also stated WITHOUT THE PROCEDURE parts of my heart will totally stop functioning within two to three years.
Doc wants me to rest and build up my strength for this procedure, but this time I will not go it alone. My intention is to continue blogging. I will read and approve the 700+ comments that are pending and start fresh. Sorry that my energy levels aren’t where they should be.
My final decision was to have the procedure in April.
And no matter what happens………….I will live, love, laugh. That has always been my philosophy. Why stop now?
“There’s more to life than being a passenger.” – Amelia Earhart, aviation pioneer, author, visiting faculty member at Perdue University, the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
Prior to starting my Inspiring Women of WordPress series, I mentioned my dear friend Maria Elena of A Gypsy At Heart. Since today is my travel day, I wanted to introduce her once again. What can I say about a woman who has a gypsy heart and the soul of an angel? She inspires me with her beautiful journeys to far off lands. All the while, she enchants you with her sincerity and warmth. She may take you to the far corners of the Earth, but I assure you, you will never be far from her heart. Please get inspired by the brilliance of A Gypsy at Heart.
the longest journey
My three month journey has finally come to an end.
I never thought I could be away from home for so long.
It was three months of admiring the immense sea. Thinking of past lovers and the one I have yet to meet.
I questioned my life and my purpose.
Maybe, my purpose is to be alone. This way I can help more women, instead of just one; and fulfill that promise I made when I failed my abused mother.
I still haven’t found all of the answers I seek.
But for some strange reason, which I can’t explain, my head and heart are finally in sync.
“Sometimes the longest journey we make is the sixteen inches from our heads to our hearts.” – Elena Avila
As I said right before my vacation, jobs fill our pockets. Adventures fill our souls. My first 5 days in the Dominican Republic were at a beach resort to relieve my stress. This was the view outside my balcony.
There was nightly entertainment. On the second night 8 professional dancers selected 4 men and 4 women from the audience to compete in a Dancing With the Stars competition. Yes, I was selected. When I survived the first five rounds (rock & roll, the twist, hip hop, lambada, and salsa) I thought I had a chance. The last two elimination rounds were the typical island dances; merengue and bachata (my forte). At the end of the competition I was called back onto the stage to receive my award (a bottle of rum) and I pulled a hamstring. The very next day I received Swedish massage to ease my pain.
One of the reasons I went to the island was to see the humpback whales. These whales come every winter from as far away as northern Canada and Norway. This is a single female flirting and letting the males know she is free. The white on their tails are like our fingerprints. No two whales are alike.
Here I captured two males crashing into one another as they fought for the attention and right to be with the female. In all, there were four males fighting for the lone female. I guess she had an amazing tail.
This is my goddaughter Dibel (proounced Dee-bell). We spent plenty of time together shopping, beaching, and playing. Now, the peculiar thing about Dibel is she swears her parents gave her the wrong name. She insists her name was supposed to be Lily. So, I always make sure to call her Lily.
My good firiend Luis has a slight resemeblence to actor Daniel Craig. After years of teasing him about it, I put it to a test. One night in a beach bar, I turned on the charm and convinced two lovely ladies that Luis is James Bond’s stunt double. Well, after a wonderful night of dancing, laughing, and drinking, the two ladies left the bar with 007’s stunt double. Lonely Author went back to his room alone.
Because of the wedding, I had the opportunity to stay at this private resort for two nights. This was the table where I had breakfast and did some writing.
My long time followers recognize Ally. We spent some time together at the 75th birthday party and at the beach wedding.
I had the chance to dine at two mountainside restaurants. This one Aroma De La Montaña (Aroma of the Mountain) has a revolving floor which gave us spectacular views while me and my friends dined.
Ah, the wedding. It was my first time being a bestman. I had plenty of fun dancing and mingling. I recited poetry (English and Spanish) during the bestman speech at the celebration.
Sadly, I said goodbye to two old dear friends Maria (95) and Tato (93). Hope they will still be there when I return.
Here is a peek at one of the orange sunsets.
Life is about the memories we make. And the memories waiting to be made. So, go out there and make some memories of your own.
The Lonely Author 