It’s February. Cold where I call home.
Cold and gray.
I don’t mind… mostly because I’m in Belize. A cheap room, a cheaper flight and a pre-on-the-grid town with cheap food is a recipe for perfection. A beautiful escape from… well… the cold and gray. I’ve practiced meditation and yoga on the beach each morning the past few days. Then, bummed around soaking up the sun in the afternoon.
Idyllic, really.
Strolling through town, I see a sign for a Bio-luminescence tour “tonight!” I book it quickly without really knowing what to expect.
I’ve always been fascinated by the bio luminescent phenomena. In some ways, this tour is a bucket-list item.
A completely unexpected opportunity to live a dream.
Because of a past experience, I don’t love the open water. So, when the small 6 man motorboat pulled up, I was a little hesitant, but got on anyway. For 30-40 minutes, we made our way down the Sittee River, flashlight-spotting local wildlife – crocodiles, herons, and kinkajous (squirrel-like raccoon cousins that just have a fun name).
Through a narrow mangrove-lined canal exiting the river, we open into what appears at night to be a lake.
Albeit a lake that glows whenever anything moves. The oar, the motor wake, fish, and even your fingers as you drag them through the water. This is Anderson Lagoon.
To say watching your arm and hand and fingers glow in movement was fascinating would be an understatement!
It looked sci-fi. It felt surreal.
It was wonderful!
A single unmatchable experience.
The boat stopped and the driver began to encourage his young son to jump in and “show them.”
My mind fluttered with the image of swimming through this glowing wonderland.
I had a swimsuit on. I knew swimming was an option. I knew the lagoon was only three to four feet deep.
…but…
I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get back in the boat.
…and I didn’t get in the lagoon. I passed up the opportunity to experience moving unhindered through the glowing water.
I kept trying to force my mind to command my body into the water. But, it wouldn’t budge.
The ride back was mostly sad, disappointed that I missed this experience.
…until I questioned why.
Why was it not enough?
Why was it not enough to experience waving my hand through the bio luminescence?
… enough to have just seen it?
… enough to just be in Belize?
What then, is enough?
After all, a few days ago, I didn’t even know bio luminescent tours were a thing here.
The answer is this:
There is never enough.
…or…
It is always enough.
The difference is simple:
Focus on what you are missing and there will never be enough.
Focus on what you have and it will always be enough.
I watched as the guide’s flashlight skimmed across a baby crocodile. Relaxed into the boat ledge and focused on how amazing it was to witness the lagoon.
Too often, the human experience we have feels like suffering – due simply to wanting more than what we have.
We change our experience to one of happiness when we instead have gratitude for our current gifts.
In gratitude, you have enough. In gratitude, enough is more than enough.