You know those cliché, inspirational life mottos? Such as,
Live life to the fullest
YOLO (You Only Live Once)
Live each day like your last!
Well, in Latin America, we’re living quite well… just a bit slower. Each day is appreciated for what it is. There is a word, “mañana,” which in Spanish, translates to “tomorrow.” And when today isn’t going right, there is always mañana. If you don’t want to do something today, there is mañana. And if you really don’t want to do something, there is always mañana mañana. Two mañanas!!! Essentially it’s one in the same with procrastination, or the solution to better luck later.
A couple of weeks ago, my friend, Mike, and I were carting around the island (Ambergris Caye) and catching up on life in Belize. We got on the topic of diving, and after realizing we were both long overdue, decided to book a 1-tank dive for the following day — Mike’s last day on the island before venturing to the mainland.
The next day, jittery with excitement, we headed to the dock around 1:45 p.m. to catch the 2:00 p.m. boat, as per the instructions given to us. Although nervous that we were a bit rusty, we were looking forward to a peaceful afternoon beside some of the most beautiful marine life in the world. Mike had his underwater camera all charged to capture any dolphins we may encounter (per his daughter’s request) during our dive.
And I was stoked to finally have a “play day” out of the office!
As we approached 2 p.m., we saw a couple of other dive boats come and go from the dock with passengers. Not really concerned yet, we waited. Belize time, we both joked…
2:10 p.m. came. No boat. No worries, yet…
2:20 p.m. No boat. Hmm…
2:35pm. Still no boat, but instead, one of my colleagues, Ben, arrived with big grin on his face. Finally, we thought. He must be coming to tell us the boat was on its way.
Wrong.
He told us that the engine for the boat was not working, and that we wouldn’t be able to go diving today. Expressing our disappointment, Ben said with a smile, “That’s okay, there is always tomorrow.”
“NO!” I exclaimed. The following morning Mike was scheduled on a flight to Orange Walk, and I had to be in the office. Ben shrugged his shoulders, and guided us to our concierge to see if we could try with another company.
All of the dive boats left for the day, so we settled on a Sunset Catamaran Cruise leaving at 4:30 p.m. Fair enough. We’d have a fun time. And that we did… a beautiful sunset over the Caribbean blue waters, entertaining company, and delicious beverages, how could we not?
And the irony of it? The name of the sunset catamaran was “YOLO.” 🙂
Life is good in Belize!
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