I think this is a time for confessions. I don’t want you to know about all my transgressions, but I will admit I am a Hedonist. Good grief! That looks pretty bad if you don’t know the definition. I actually discovered the meaning of the word myself within the last few years.
I discovered my weakness a few years ago, and I need to blame someone, and the electronic morphine that is endemic in every household is the culprit. Of course, I may have lost a reader or two by not explaining how this word has helped to define my life.
The word that sounds a lot worse than it is came to me these past two weeks when my Angel and I headed down to a little island southwest of Miami, Fla. It’s not much to look at, but it is on most maps. I’m speaking of the island country of the Dominican Republic. You may have heard about it without knowing how it affected me. Let me explain.
Lorraine and I had been thinking of a family vacation. Not having a vacation for at least the past couple of years was wearing on us. We love Gonzales and all our neighbors, but my darling daughter just couldn’t help telling us about her family’s trips out of California. I actually erased Facebook from my computer due to jealousy on my part. Don’t get me wrong, I truly loved to know that she was seeing places I have never seen, even though I have circled this globe while protecting our country from the communist scourge. I never spent much time in many of these places.
So when I suggested that we get our families together to spend time together and to have time to do so my daughter embraced the idea and said she would pick a place to relax and watch the world go around. Something she is very good at.
Within a few days she called and told us her idea. “Dad, you and Mom will love this place I’m almost sure! You won’t have to take out a loan on your house. You see, the great thing about it is that you pay for all the expenses before you leave.” For some reason that idea appealed to my Love and I. Of course, the advance payment wasn’t cheap, but what did we need with another car or new clothes.
We rounded up all our aluminum cans and had a garage sale or two and found that if we didn’t eat for the first few weeks upon our return that we could come up with the dues to this promised land. Then I read the small print on the brochure and saw that the adjoining population center was the country of Haiti. You may have heard about this place due to the largess of our federal government. The last thing I read about Haiti was that another government had failed and the president was shot, along with the usual two or three that are killed every few weeks. I don’t know about you, but it didn’t sound like Shangri-La to me.
I’ll skip ahead and tell you that we never felt in danger while in the other country that shares the island where we went. After plane rides of five hours from California to Fort Lauderdale and two more hours to the destination of Punta Cana, the first thing I noted was the heat. It was a sultry heat much like my memory of Vietnam.
It was bedlam to get our bags, but it was quick and we were on to the hotel. Lots of construction going on that made me curious as to what our hotel was going to be. I was astonished by the opulence and the speed in which we were taken to our room by a tram that carried about 15 other guests. The trams are constantly moving throughout the hotel, so we could go swimming all day and shopping every night. Our room was also a pleasant surprise, lots of air conditioning and spacious.
We put our bags down and were whisked to the shopping area we had been told about. Another surprise, bigger than any mall I have ever been in. I cannot find the words to describe all the shops and restaurants. Again, the food and libations were free. We had a couple of drinks to slow down the heart and walked around discovering that the property had 13 swimming pools and the bluest ocean I can remember.
Drinks were placed in front of you at a record pace, which could have been a real problem if my personal nurse had not been with me. She insisted on a glass of water with each cocktail. You didn’t have to move. The lovely server kept her eye on us. So I figured I would just increase my hydration due to the sun. One thing that wasn’t free was the massages that Lorraine and I had to endure poolside. But I’m not complaining one bit.
So, it seems that I have become a Hedonist. By the way, alcohol is not part of Hedonism. Oh, it could be I guess, but it didn’t figure in my decision. I am getting older and the thought of enjoying all the things I do or consume or look upon appeals to me.
I am not forsaking my Christian religion. Hedonism is not a religion. It is simply a way to gather your thoughts of how wonderful life can be. Too often we skip the little things. But I am, as I always have been, embracing the words that Jesus gave us to believe. Through this I hope to become a better person.
Uh, by the way, my daughter says that Cancun is the cat’s meow with even better service and ambiance. Our vacation was topnotch and spending time with my daughter and son-in-law made it even better. As a Hedonist, I am required to eat good food and see beautiful sites. Maybe I’ll see you there next time…
God Bless.
