Blog Dis
An island unto yourself...
2026-04-23
Why waste your precious coin on buying an entire island, when you are an island unto yourself? Why isolate yourself on an island that is likely to be subject to hurricanes and tsunamis, when you can choose to develop your inner peace, to become your very own safe-haven?
I've spent plenty of time on islands, where the sun, sand, beach and heat are the order of the day. Some of the best experiences on islands for me occurred while traveling in Greece and Mexico and the last beach-like romp had occurred in Tel Aviv, a stretch of seven beaches end-to-end. Sure, sure. It's nice for a couple of weeks until boredom sets in, after you've devoured your great Classic novel like Pride and Prejudice. When it's just you and the beach, you're left with drinking, mingling and riding the surf and all these activities are awesome. Yet, these too shall eventually turn mundane to some who crave more stimulation. In these instances, I say develop your private, personal sanctuary, where all manner of relaxation is practiced, like reading, napping, reading more, listening to music, all done to remove yourself from the travails of work and life that are designed to cut out small pieces of your mind, one peaceful thought pattern at a time.
Private islands have come under fire, owing to the atrociously horrific events exposed in the last couple of years. Here, I won't mention that name in full which begins with an 'E' because it's tainted the very idea of running a private hide-a-way beach, owing to it having been used for inhumane purposes, and this continues to make me want to hurl my cookies non-stop.
But, but... if ever there was a symbol of peace, the beach sums up this notion of ideal, a place to cast off the shackles of responsibility, to never worry about having to change bedding, to cook or to be on time, and most important of all to make sound decisions. The island-way means to chill out, smoke your brains out and then to bake your thought-patterns in the hot sun, sitting on the bar stool in the middle of the pool. I get it. I've done it, though not as many times as some people I know who travel every winter to an island to beach-out, as they refer to it. All-inclusive packages include all meals and drinky-poos. I've yet to hear of one person, never mind a couple, who don't take advantage of these deals, to drink their faces off, eat plenty, in order to get their money's worth. You'll end up spending your vacation with people who are pretty much of the same mentality; at the end of their rope, in need of a get-away, who don't seek encouragement to embrace copious amounts of alcohol to kick-start their escapism.
I grew up getting sunburns all the time, thanks to the parents of a school friend who owned a houseboat. We'd spend all day on the lake or swimming in the lake, and get cooked by the sun, returning home after three days looking like a lobster. The water reflected the sun's glare. The Penaten Cream would be smeared over my skin to dull the warmth of my sunburn, which had also burned the top of my head, not just my arms, legs, back, face and body. I never minded back then. In my childhood, the idea of slathering SPF protection on kids wasn't a concern, and neither were parents grilled on how they were neglecting their kids. You could say we were raised to be a hardier stock back then, kids who grew up in the 60s and 70s, prior to the arrival of political correctitude. Parents in these days took it as an offence if anyone dared to point out their failings. Kids were property to them, to be managed as best they could, which often meant kicking us out of the house, to give some peace and quiet to the frazzled parents. At the same time, if anyone were to bully us kids in our neighborhood, my mother thought nothing of chasing them down with a rubber skipping rope to threaten to break their arms. You go lioness!
Our parents had less disposable income back in these days, so they didn't have islands on which they could hide their terrible sins, or to escape their life. Instead, these activities were unleashed in the backyard or at someone's cottage. In Canada, cottage country is a huge deal. When I worked for a Conservative Member of Parliament, his riding was Parry Sound-Muskoka, arguably regarded as some of the best cottage country in Canada, and where numerous American celebrities spend their vacations, in quiet seclusion. Later when I switched jobs to the private industry, every year I'd coordinate a client conference, rotating the location to one of Canada's Eastern provinces, where there are plenty of beaches. Cape Breton one year was the chosen location; a 10,300 km island, off the coast of the Atlantic. It boasted a prestigious private golf course, very expensive to the tenth degree and, its manager would brag about mingling with Hollywood celebrities, people just like us who appreciated how Canadians weren't interested in bothering them, that they'd be left alone to pretend to be normal people, to enjoy some peace and an unfettered round of golf.
Island beaches are coveted, though I'm just as happy with beaches that are well-positioned in some cities, localized in center town settings. I find it disturbing, however, when I read streams online of supposedly learned people citing the benefits of not wearing sun-screen protection, or sun-glasses to protect your eyes, while in the sun. These confused individuals espouse how the sun's rays are not harmful to your eyes, and how exposing your body for a period of time as long as possible is essential. Puh-lease do your research! If you do, you'll learn that UV exposure to your eyeballs can cause macular damage like photokeratitis (sun-burned eyes), and long-term damage like cataracts, as well as cancer of the eyes or eyelids.
In Canada, whose bodies of water are fresh-lakes, our swimming is typically restricted within the area that is closest to our cottages. Things have changed, though. Cottages are no longer a fraction of the cost of houses. Cottages are all the rage, and have been for decades, but they are atrociously expensive now, and in some cases far more expensive than houses. You can winterize your cottage which costs more money, in order for you to enjoy winter activities too like snow-shoeing, or cross-country skiing and snowmobiles. But summer at the cottage is preferred, and more so if you have access to canoes or speed-boats. For some, and rather than shell out hefty coin to buy a cottage, high-end trailer parks are increasingly more popular. Your money will buy you a little sanctuary, away from the downtown life, if this applies to you, in order that you can let your hair down, to enjoy your neighbors, BBQs, swimming in the lake, and pretty much getting up to the same kind of trouble that is expected to occur on private islands and their beaches.
I've never owned a house, car, cottage, motorcycle or even a condo time-share in another country where the weather is supreme year-round. I understand the value of these assets, as well as the responsibility involved, given that I've supported wealthy Executives for most of my career. There are always issues that require your focus with every asset like property, as well as the on-going maintenance and handling of filing taxes in foreign places.
Rather, and instead, I've cultivated the island inside my mind, in some of the activities in which I choose to engage, like cycling — to enjoy the scenery for free, to ride throughout my beloved city, that takes me along the Ottawa River, the Rideau Canal, into wooded cycle paths that are bowered on either side by tall trees. The island inside my head is peaceful. It isn't cluttered with the demands of anyone else, other than my own expectations.
When you're an island unto yourself, you don't rely on other people for happiness. You are your own refuge and source of strength, as well as your own wellspring of vitality. Those who are comfortable with themselves are not seeking validation from others, not their family, friends or colleagues, and surely not validation from total strangers online. Being an island unto yourself would naturally follow that you've found the secret to achieving peace. Peace alludes many. It's really very simple, however. You choose peace. You don't find peace. Those who destroy your peace are known to you already. Give yourself permission to ignore them, to cut them out of your life. Your peace is the kind of wealth that cannot be measured in the form of an island, a cottage or a trailer. If your peace has been destroyed inside your mind, it doesn't really matter where you take yourself, you'll still feel off-balance regardless.
This is the biggest selling point of a free-wheeling spirit, to know that peace is within your reach, and well worth the privacy and effort to cultivate that island unto yourself.
I've spent plenty of time on islands, where the sun, sand, beach and heat are the order of the day. Some of the best experiences on islands for me occurred while traveling in Greece and Mexico and the last beach-like romp had occurred in Tel Aviv, a stretch of seven beaches end-to-end. Sure, sure. It's nice for a couple of weeks until boredom sets in, after you've devoured your great Classic novel like Pride and Prejudice. When it's just you and the beach, you're left with drinking, mingling and riding the surf and all these activities are awesome. Yet, these too shall eventually turn mundane to some who crave more stimulation. In these instances, I say develop your private, personal sanctuary, where all manner of relaxation is practiced, like reading, napping, reading more, listening to music, all done to remove yourself from the travails of work and life that are designed to cut out small pieces of your mind, one peaceful thought pattern at a time.
Private islands have come under fire, owing to the atrociously horrific events exposed in the last couple of years. Here, I won't mention that name in full which begins with an 'E' because it's tainted the very idea of running a private hide-a-way beach, owing to it having been used for inhumane purposes, and this continues to make me want to hurl my cookies non-stop.
But, but... if ever there was a symbol of peace, the beach sums up this notion of ideal, a place to cast off the shackles of responsibility, to never worry about having to change bedding, to cook or to be on time, and most important of all to make sound decisions. The island-way means to chill out, smoke your brains out and then to bake your thought-patterns in the hot sun, sitting on the bar stool in the middle of the pool. I get it. I've done it, though not as many times as some people I know who travel every winter to an island to beach-out, as they refer to it. All-inclusive packages include all meals and drinky-poos. I've yet to hear of one person, never mind a couple, who don't take advantage of these deals, to drink their faces off, eat plenty, in order to get their money's worth. You'll end up spending your vacation with people who are pretty much of the same mentality; at the end of their rope, in need of a get-away, who don't seek encouragement to embrace copious amounts of alcohol to kick-start their escapism.
I grew up getting sunburns all the time, thanks to the parents of a school friend who owned a houseboat. We'd spend all day on the lake or swimming in the lake, and get cooked by the sun, returning home after three days looking like a lobster. The water reflected the sun's glare. The Penaten Cream would be smeared over my skin to dull the warmth of my sunburn, which had also burned the top of my head, not just my arms, legs, back, face and body. I never minded back then. In my childhood, the idea of slathering SPF protection on kids wasn't a concern, and neither were parents grilled on how they were neglecting their kids. You could say we were raised to be a hardier stock back then, kids who grew up in the 60s and 70s, prior to the arrival of political correctitude. Parents in these days took it as an offence if anyone dared to point out their failings. Kids were property to them, to be managed as best they could, which often meant kicking us out of the house, to give some peace and quiet to the frazzled parents. At the same time, if anyone were to bully us kids in our neighborhood, my mother thought nothing of chasing them down with a rubber skipping rope to threaten to break their arms. You go lioness!
Our parents had less disposable income back in these days, so they didn't have islands on which they could hide their terrible sins, or to escape their life. Instead, these activities were unleashed in the backyard or at someone's cottage. In Canada, cottage country is a huge deal. When I worked for a Conservative Member of Parliament, his riding was Parry Sound-Muskoka, arguably regarded as some of the best cottage country in Canada, and where numerous American celebrities spend their vacations, in quiet seclusion. Later when I switched jobs to the private industry, every year I'd coordinate a client conference, rotating the location to one of Canada's Eastern provinces, where there are plenty of beaches. Cape Breton one year was the chosen location; a 10,300 km island, off the coast of the Atlantic. It boasted a prestigious private golf course, very expensive to the tenth degree and, its manager would brag about mingling with Hollywood celebrities, people just like us who appreciated how Canadians weren't interested in bothering them, that they'd be left alone to pretend to be normal people, to enjoy some peace and an unfettered round of golf.
Island beaches are coveted, though I'm just as happy with beaches that are well-positioned in some cities, localized in center town settings. I find it disturbing, however, when I read streams online of supposedly learned people citing the benefits of not wearing sun-screen protection, or sun-glasses to protect your eyes, while in the sun. These confused individuals espouse how the sun's rays are not harmful to your eyes, and how exposing your body for a period of time as long as possible is essential. Puh-lease do your research! If you do, you'll learn that UV exposure to your eyeballs can cause macular damage like photokeratitis (sun-burned eyes), and long-term damage like cataracts, as well as cancer of the eyes or eyelids.
In Canada, whose bodies of water are fresh-lakes, our swimming is typically restricted within the area that is closest to our cottages. Things have changed, though. Cottages are no longer a fraction of the cost of houses. Cottages are all the rage, and have been for decades, but they are atrociously expensive now, and in some cases far more expensive than houses. You can winterize your cottage which costs more money, in order for you to enjoy winter activities too like snow-shoeing, or cross-country skiing and snowmobiles. But summer at the cottage is preferred, and more so if you have access to canoes or speed-boats. For some, and rather than shell out hefty coin to buy a cottage, high-end trailer parks are increasingly more popular. Your money will buy you a little sanctuary, away from the downtown life, if this applies to you, in order that you can let your hair down, to enjoy your neighbors, BBQs, swimming in the lake, and pretty much getting up to the same kind of trouble that is expected to occur on private islands and their beaches.
I've never owned a house, car, cottage, motorcycle or even a condo time-share in another country where the weather is supreme year-round. I understand the value of these assets, as well as the responsibility involved, given that I've supported wealthy Executives for most of my career. There are always issues that require your focus with every asset like property, as well as the on-going maintenance and handling of filing taxes in foreign places.
Rather, and instead, I've cultivated the island inside my mind, in some of the activities in which I choose to engage, like cycling — to enjoy the scenery for free, to ride throughout my beloved city, that takes me along the Ottawa River, the Rideau Canal, into wooded cycle paths that are bowered on either side by tall trees. The island inside my head is peaceful. It isn't cluttered with the demands of anyone else, other than my own expectations.
When you're an island unto yourself, you don't rely on other people for happiness. You are your own refuge and source of strength, as well as your own wellspring of vitality. Those who are comfortable with themselves are not seeking validation from others, not their family, friends or colleagues, and surely not validation from total strangers online. Being an island unto yourself would naturally follow that you've found the secret to achieving peace. Peace alludes many. It's really very simple, however. You choose peace. You don't find peace. Those who destroy your peace are known to you already. Give yourself permission to ignore them, to cut them out of your life. Your peace is the kind of wealth that cannot be measured in the form of an island, a cottage or a trailer. If your peace has been destroyed inside your mind, it doesn't really matter where you take yourself, you'll still feel off-balance regardless.
This is the biggest selling point of a free-wheeling spirit, to know that peace is within your reach, and well worth the privacy and effort to cultivate that island unto yourself.
