5 Days in the Middle of the Ocean

Might seem like a taunting title...but it was 5 of the best days of my life.

To be specific, it was 5 days in the middle of the ocean on a boat offshore in St. Thomas, USVI. Every morning I woke up to the soft rolling of waves to get up and go on deck to watch the sunrise. While I had been on cruise ships before, I never had experienced what it was like to be on a small boat overnight (especially not for 5 days). The mornings were calm and sound filled the air of birds chirping.

So, how exactly did I end up on a boat in the middle of the ocean for 5 days? Well, as I continue to emphasize my favorite phrase, I just thought "why not?"

Growing up, my family friends would get together and decide a place to travel to. So, this summer they decided St. Thomas, USVI. Although, this particular trip was a bit different because I was living in Miami, Florida and my parents were moving out of our house into a new place. In essence, it meant we were not supposed to be going on the trip with everyone else.

However, fast forward two weeks before moving to Miami and three weeks before the trip to St. Thomas, I was sitting in the living room of one of my family friends house (also one of my best friends), and we were discussing how fun the trip was gonna be. After talking about it for a solid thirty minutes, we all looked at each other and they said "well, why not just come with us." So, of course I responded "well, why not?" (Pictured below is my best friend and I as a child on one of the trips with our fathers).

About three weeks later, I hopped on a plane and left Miami for St. Thomas. Once I was on the island, I had to figure out a way to get a ride to the beach and get on the boat (because they were all already on the boat). I arrived at the beach where they were docked then had to dingy (small boat used to go onshore) back to the main boat. I spent the week snorkeling, swimming, and learning how to navigate not falling off of a boat in rough seas.

Overall, the trip was unexpected and nothing like I had experienced in my life. But my adventures of saying "why not?" in unknown situation never fail to make me happy, and that is why I continue to live by that motto.