Over the summer, I spent some time in the Bahamas with my family. Once we arrived, I couldn’t believe my eyes looking at the crystal clear blue waters and white sandy beaches.
We spent two days on Grand Bahama Island, enjoying the surf and relaxation that came from staying at Freeport’s Grand Lucayan hotel.
Despite the seemingly mundane and meaningless fun that this beach extravaganza seemed to entail, I learned something that changed the course of my life on my last full day on Grand Bahama.
My family and I were wrapping up a jeep tour of the island, and as we pulled our jeeps back into the Grand Bahama Jeep Tours lot, our tour guide made a statement that changed my outlook on life. He said that “I hope you have enjoyed this tour, and hope that you enjoy the rest of your vacation.”
On its own, that probably meant nothing earthshattering. It was just something every tour guide would say.
However, it helped me realize that my vacation was all but over. It was roughly 3PM, just 23 brief hours from boarding the Grand Celebration cruise ship for a one-way trip back to Palm Beach, FL and eventually home to Atlanta.
As I made that sad realization, I realized that there was nothing for me to be sad about. My time in the Bahamas were probably the 48 best hours of my life, and my only “regret” was that it had to end.
This is how I wanted to live: without worry, without regret, without fear. I wanted to live life and not just go through the motions. That day, I learned how to live.
To live, you have to be fearless and to be fearless, you have to let go of all the small stuff. To live, you have to treat every single moment of your life like it’s your last moment.
You have to treat every breath you take like it’s your last breath. Soak it all in, because soon it’ll all be gone.
When it’s all gone, you should know that you took all that you could, and you enjoyed every last moment of it.
Andrew Okwuosah 