Each of us possess our own concept of what paradise is. Merriam-Webster provides us a dual meaning for the word paradise: one religious in nature referencing heaven ("an intermediate place or state where the souls of the righteous await resurrection and the final judgment"); and, two being "a place of bliss, felicity or delight". [Merriam-Webster. Paradise. (Accessed August 11, 2021). For the purposes of this writing, definition two applies.
Now, I'd absolutely be lying to you if I said that paradise, in my dreams, doesn't include such things as a lush and lavish tropical beach with half naked ladies fanning me with palm leaves, feeding me grapes, and serving me an endless supply of frozen banana daiquiri's. Yeah, it's a man thing I guess, but more importantly it's a dream.
But in reality, can paradise be achieved absent the beach, naked ladies and endless drinks. This return to reality has made me reflect on my present position in life with said reflection causing me to assess my degree of satisfaction with my current situation.
The year 2013 was a major turning point in my life. That year, I divorced out of an extremely toxic marriage. It was a bitter divorce that when complete left me with barely the clothes on my back. No job, no money, living in cheap hotels - it sucked. But worse, I did not know how to dig myself out of this hole.
For three years I wandered aimlessly. It wasn't until I became homeless and hungry that the self realization of the fact I'd reached bottom sunk in. I was depressed, unhappy, and I needed to do something to fix it. So, I did.
I stopped wallowing in my own self pity and found myself a good paying job which allowed me to work as much overtime as I wanted. And boy, did I work some long hours, 12 hour shifts running a heavy machine in a factory, six days a week. Not much of a life, but it was a means to an end.
Having money now meant I could leave the cheap hotel scene. I moved into a very nice apartment in a very nice house in a very nice neighborhood. Parenthetically, I still reside in this nice apartment.
I cut way back on my drinking habit, have a beautiful (younger) girlfriend, and retired. I might not have everything I want, but sure as hell I now have everything I need. I do what I want, when I want, and how I want. I love to write but never had the time before to devote to it. I do have the time now and derive great pleasure from it. If I want cold pizza for breakfast or bacon and eggs for dinner, I have it. If I want to stay up late at night or sleep in in the morning, I do it. With this freedom comes happiness, trust me.
So why am I telling you all this. Well, because my present life's status and condition is a comparative paradise to me from the bottom of the barrel I once lived. While a beach (and the half naked ladies) would be nice, it's not necessary for my personal paradise.
Sure, I want more, but do I need more - no! I'm extremely happy with where I am and what I have. The reality of my 'now' is my paradise.
Paradise is transitory. While what I am presently experiencing as my paradise, might not be my paradise a year from now. Hopefully in the next six months or so I'm planning a move south (Belize, Ecuador, and Costa Rica are in the running). I'm keeping my dream alive. Maybe, just maybe, my present paradise can be transformed into a new paradise, where I find my place in the sun and a half naked lady to bring the drinks.
Here's to transitory paradise. Waitress, I'll have another one please....