With sparkling volcanic sand surrounding you as the warm waves lick at your feet, it’s easy to let go of all your formal inhibitions and deeper thoughts. You allow yourself to live in a  moment where you’re not reflecting, you’re not looking back, and you’re not looking forward either. All that matters is the simplicity of the fleeting moment of bursting laughter that erupts from faces flashing the brightest smiles in the brightest weather. In moments such as these, on the beach and enjoying yourself in it’s open space, you begin to really savor the importance of allocating a set time to simply have fun. 

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We woke up this morning and headed straight to the beach. From there, we hopped on a boat into the mangroves. We were in an amazing tour where we take this boat through the mangroves, the lush green vegetation surrounding the boat as we smoothly skimmed across this river and got off at a small pier within the mangroves. We made our way ashore, and began a short walk from there to the second beach. This trail was like something from a children’s book, the plants exotic, with a foreign beauty that made you feel like you were in another world. It was from this trail that we spotted the second beach. This beach was a huge, wide, and open private beach with the water sparkling in a brilliant shade of blue. The sand was burning under our feet, and with the sharp feeling on our feet we couldn’t help but sprint to the water to relieve ourselves from the burn of the dry sand. The waves were cool at first, a refreshing contrast to the heat, and in a moment after the water was warm and soothing. We spent a long time almost jousting these waves, and playing frisbee.

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From the second beach we took the boat back to the beach we began at, and boarded the bus to travel to a third beach!  At this beach, we were led into the second floor of a huge beach restaurant. From here the view was amazing and the food was just as well! After enjoying a hearty meal topped with creme brûlée desserts, we headed down to the beach to explore and relax. We spent hours here, all of us exploring different parts of the beach and enjoying what appealed to us the most.

It’s no doubt that I can lose track of the countless moments and events of which I had fun during this trip, though it was only today that I truly remembered the raw feeling of a careless moment. Whether it be toppling backwards in the water as the whitewash breaks your fall, gathering your strength to burst into a sprint and dive under a wave, or that second you hold your breath to take a picture, careless moments that allow your mind to go blank can do so much for you.

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That’s what reminds me of the question of the day: Do you think having fun is part of success? My answer: definitely. See, to have your mind to run in it’s laps and to strengthen itself, you must allow it to sit out and breathe in between. And me and my group did just that today. For some, that breather was a relaxing time with ambient music and a game of cards, for others it may have been jolting sprints into the waves to catch their breath right after. Everyone gravitated towards what makes them the most relaxed, and in turn, the most happy. I enjoyed swimming in the water and taking breaks to take pictures and walk along the shore.

We loved this day, and you could sense it in an almost newfound mood that radiated from us. There was no sense of a duty we could be apprehensive about, no sense of a pressed time to get a task done, or no sense of restraint the way one may feel during a stressful period in school or any type of work. Just a raw, wholesome feeling of a relaxed fun that we really needed. After this day, we are refreshed for the rest of the trip. Coming up are Community Action Project Days and Education Days among the days in which we need our minds clear and relaxed to absorb these new experiences, thoughts, and feelings. I’m looking forward to the rest of the trip!