I’ve been reliving words written in early July, 2017, during the time of this trip. For Beth and me, the main theme of our second St. John excursion was Togetherness: We were celebrating 25 years (plus six weeks) of matrimony. Perhaps it’s also true that we were seriously starting to fantasize about our hopes for the future – which continue coming into focus as the years pass.
That first night back on the island, I had a disturbing dream. After a head-spinning travel day that fully exceeded every expectation, my sleeping brain mounted a dark virtual-reality vignette where my business went belly up, prompting me to reimagine my fate. Over the following days, the nightmarish thoughts lingered. Ultimately, thinking through the quandary of being re-cast, my top-shelf career aspiration from younger days sprang from the shadows: Given my first choice for a new career, should push come to shove, I decided I would attempt to become a writer of screenplays and novels.
Note that this happened back when all was well, leading year-by-year through 2019, my best in business of all time. Remarkably, in 2020, out-of-the-blue, I spent an unexpected volume of hours gravely reassessing career options. So, did the soul-searching conducted on a 2017 Virgin Island getaway pave my way forward? The answers are Yes and No.
Yes, I would say, the writer saved me, and his perseverance has given me a new opportunity to stand for an original creative force that is estimable. He has required more dedicated time and effort than I ever imagined, but by embracing and sticking with him, possibilities are expanding, and wins are adding up.
That said, the goal of transforming myself into screenwriter and novelist has also hit a wall. I am finding the demands for time and effort to be unquenchable. One thing has to lead to the next, and so on. Passing to new levels requires more epic battles, which are mostly internal. While leaving the comfort zone is never easy, it is sometimes impossible.
Anyway, back on 7/7/17, we hiked about a mile up and over a series of hills to reach Brown Bay. I’d read about this castaway locale in John Lorenzo Anderson’s haunting “Night of the Silent Drums,” which documents the disastrous 1733-1734 slave rebellion on what was then St. Jan. It was tranquil for us, and a beautiful, sacred-feeling place to visit. While recording this scene, I was subconsciously thinking about making a new dream come true. Obviously, I’m one lucky bastard compared to anyone who stood there centuries ago wishing only for their freedom. While I cannot give them justice, maybe by carrying on, the writer and I can keep their stories alive.
Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands, July, 2017
Rare Air Episode 36, Part 1: Second trip to St. John for two
Rare Air Episode 37, Part 2: Sunset at Caneel Bay Resort
Rare Air Episode 38, Part 3: Honeymoon Beach, Caneel Bay Resort
Rare Air Episode 39, Part 4: Close Encounter with Otherworldly Locals
Rare Air Episode 40, Part 5: Diving Leduck Island
Rare Air Episode 41, Part 6: Our Octopus Friend
Rare Air Episode 42, Part 7: A Perfect Day Above and Below the Waves
Rare Air Episode 43, Part 8: Hello, We Must Be Going
Rare Air Episode 44, Part 9: Running Down a Dream
Rare Air Episode 45, Part 10: Reef Bay Sunrise
Rare Air Episode 46, Part 11: Coral Bay Sunset
