Day 263: A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words... On Flipping Some Cash

Flipper's come out to do some damage.

 
Last week's cliche: It's a small, small world

Day 262: Stop. Focus. Click... On Doing Nothing

As I'm nearing the end of my Dominican Republic vacation, I'm realizing that there's just so much "nothing" I can do before I go stir crazy. I have determined that five days is enough, but seven is too many. It's still beautiful here, though.

 

Day 260: If I Ruled Lichtenstein... First-Come, First Serve Basis Would Rule

We woke up relatively early this morning, considering we were on vacation, and were looking forward to laying by the pool all morning and afternoon.

So we headed out to the long pool that winds its way along the length of the resort. We passed dozens and dozens of lawn chairs - some of which had a hat or a book on them. The rest of them had the ubiquitous white towels from the resort on them to "reserve" them.

So there I was standing in the middle of a sea of empty blue lawn chairs - each with a white towel on them, and several with one towel draped across several chairs - feeling frustrated that no one was occupying the chairs, yet I felt like I couldn't take over any of them because they were "reserved."

What was more frustrating was that once I scrounged up two together by dragging one from the pool and another that was not reserved because it was slightly broken, I sat there for hours near "reserved" chairs that no one came to claim while people who were ready to sit out by the pool circled like vultures waiting for people to leave.

I have come to realize that I cannot tolerate what I consider unfairness. It was unfair of people to reserve chairs for hours while they lallygagged around in bed while others wanted to use them, but didn't want to be rude.

In Lichtenstein, everything is on a first-come, first-serve basis. The first people to the pool are the ones who get the lawn chairs. The first people to the concert get the front row, etc. If you truly cared about something, you'd be one of the first to get there and would stay there.

Day 259: What Did Batman Say to Robin... About Blind Love

Holy philosophical feelings about love, Batman!

If love is blind, then how can we believe in love at first sight?

Some may believe in love at first sight, but I absolutely do not. I believe in mutual attraction, but you simply cannot romantically love someone the first time you see them.

Love is built on a foundation of trust, and the bricks and mortar include mutual respect, honesty, and compromise among many, many others.

When you first meet someone, you could be instantly attracted to them because of the way they look or their mannerisms, but you don't know anything deeper than that. You don't know whether he'll be there for you when your grandmother has passed away or whether she'll stick by you through a major surgery.

The only way you can find this out is by spending time together and building a relationship.

That being said, I do believe that love is blind. Love looks past age, race, gender, wealth, etc., because you can't help who you fall in love with. Sometimes it's someone you've known your entire life, and sometimes it's someone who is absolutely not your type, yet you've spent time with that person and you end up falling in love.

So yes, love is blind, and those who believe in love at first sight have also probably seen leprechauns and unicorns.

Day 258: Never Have I Ever... Felt Stressed Around Palm Trees

Whenever I see palm trees, I know I'm on vacation. They're a symbol of relaxation and fun for me.

These are the palm trees I snapped on one of the first days in the (sometimes very windy) Dominican Republican.

Never have I ever been to the Dominican Republic. My first impression of the country was at the airport - which was essentially a bamboo hut with large fans attempting to act as air conditioners as the masses of people waited in line after line for tourist passes and to get through security and customs.

After that headache, we piled into a van to get to the resort. On the way we passed rusty lean-tos, wooden shacks, and places with debris piled up everywhere where people were hanging out on plastic lawn chairs. And then we passed a group of maids walking up the long road to the five-star resort we were staying at for a week.

The resort was stunning, but such a stark contrast to the rest of the country. It was easy to forget about the poverty outside the gates of the resort with all the beauty inside, but it just didn't change the fact that it was still there. While I felt horrible when I thought about it, it also reminded me to feel grateful for what I do have. I am blessed, and I can't forget that.

Day 256: A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words... On The Universe

It blows my mind sometimes to think about just how miniscule we are in the grand scheme of things.

Last week's cliche: The grass is always greener on the other side

Day 255: Stop. Focus. Click... On My Punkers

Glad you're feeling better punkin'.