one love in treasure beach, jamaica

It was March 2022 and my kids and I were making plans to move from Florida to somewhere when our apartment lease ended at the end of June. Whether we were traveling or not Jovan and I had to move. Josiah was going to move to off-campus housing with other students and Yairi was going to California for 5 months to work and save some money before she took off to college in Savannah, Georgia.

It’s one of those times where we were going to go through a lot of changes no matter what so as usual, I decided to overcomplicate it in a fun way and decide Jovan and I are going to travel during the summer and possibly beyond to see about the world.

Destination? Unknown.

The somewhere would come from our vacation travels, possibly; or the places we decided to visit longer term after summer vacation. I was planning to move out of the US after Jovan graduated but the universe suggested different.

I’m a planner by nature, but a flexible planner. Of the big picture only. I hone in on details as I go. I don’t need to have all the answers right away nor do I need to obsess or stress over the details ahead of time. I have always known- and even more now that I’m 44– that you cannot control most of life- only what you choose to manifest– so I create an idea in my mind, I come up with the end-goal, and the planning starts in my head as time goes by- taking breaks and reassessing along the way.

I guess I can credit this method to my becoming a parent at the tender but very mature age of 18. I was 18 going on 35.

Add to the fact that I had 4 kids by the age of 29, soooooo….planning all the details has not worked for me ever.

Man laughs, Goddess plans.

Here we were in March 2022 in Florida where we had resided for one year. We moved from California to Florida in April 2021. This was my third time living in Florida. I was in the middle of an extremely stressful situation with my lovely 18 yo daughter Isis; and I mean lovely in every sense of the word. One couldn’t ask for a better daughter. She got herself into a difficult situation and was dealing with consequences of choices she had made in the last year and half. As soon as I learned about it I went into “boss mom fix mode” at which I am such an expert. I got her what she needed and we were dealing with the situation. She had just told me what was going on right after new year’s.

However, here we were 2 1/2 months later and to add to that stressful situation I got into a little heated argument with my sister during a girls’ night out.

I reached my threshold. I was close to my breaking point. I could see it just a mile away and I needed to do something. QUICK!

I sat down and decided to book a trip somewhere. But where? First place that came was an island of course. I can’t remember what made me finally choose but I decided on Jamaica.

Airfare was reasonable. AirBnBs were reasonable. That’s enough information for me to finalize my choice. Now, what part of the island would I go to? I’ve been to and lived in enough places to know that one country can be experienced very differently depending on what part of the country you visit.

I don’t like extremely popular tourist destinations and much less cookie-cutter resorts that feel like you never left capitalism. I like different experiences that involve more of the locals of the country I’m visiting. Otherwise, what’s the point? I know of people who only go to Marriott resorts and the like. American hotels. For that I stay in US and never come out like a lot of americans don’t.

I chose Treasure Beach.

I started looking at some travel blogs and saw that it wasn’t saturated and packed with cookie cutter resorts. It was far away from the popular destinations of Montego Bay and Kingston. A Jamaican I just met in Puerto Rico (ha!) just told me I went to the worst beaches of the island. The best beaches are elsewhere they said.

Regardless, I had a great experience. Treasure beach was exactly what I needed for what I needed at the time.

Solitude, tranquility, and relaxation away from the situation at home is exactly what I needed.

The airbnb I stayed in was perfect. It was very high up on the mountain with spectacular views of the town and the ocean. No AC needed even though it was in the 90s (Fahrenheit) every afternoon and that’s because the ocean breeze was fabulous!

Best of all there was an area on the roof to relax on a couch and chairs to admire the view, put on some music or do yoga and workout.

The house itself had no walls on the side that faced the ocean view. It had three floors in total. It was the perfect place to hide and think and reflect. Just what the doctor (me) prescribed. I stayed for two whole weeks. It was heaven.

I did burn my face to a crisp because I refuse to wear sunblock (don’t like chemicals on my skin) and I learned my lesson to make sure to bring all kinds of hats to all my destinations.

It was a great experience once I found the places with the good food which were few in Treasure Island. Below are the three places I ate at the most: Frenchman’s, Mellow Yellow, Hold A Vibez Cafe, and smoothies to go. I also ate breakfast once at Smurf’s Cafe and it was good.

Beach + great food + tranquility + ocean breeze = bliss!

Before I left I arranged for Tristan (my 26 yo) to fly in to watch over Isis and Jovan. Josiah didn’t need watching and he’s helpful but he’s attending university and has classes and homework to worry about.

This gave a chance for me to reassess and recharge my batteries and it gave Tristan a chance to spend time with his siblings.

I could hear myself think again. I did yoga on the beach and on the roof and I journaled. Not coincidentally, while there, I found out something really damaging and disturbing. Had I been at home under the stress levels I was experiencing and dealing with what I was dealing with, I would’ve snapped.

Trust your instincts and do what needs to be done to reset. Your health depends on it.

I came back home ready to continue handling the situation at hand in a better state of mind. I am happy to report that Isis is now in California with friends, applying for jobs and preparing to start attending SCAD in Savannah, Georgia.

When things are rough and you don’t see the end in sight find ways to cope and take care of yourself before you attempt to take care of others. I was in such a stressed and dark frame of mind dealing with this ordeal that I had to get away and do some self-care in a way that works for me. I understand not everyone can take a trip to deal.

Small things like spending a day at your favorite cafe or bookstore, getting a mani and/or pedi, going to a park with a basket of snacks, music, a good book and a blanket, or going on a nature hike.

Did you know the feeling you get when you’re surrounded by nature is the same as when you are around loved ones?

Being in nature boosts your immune system. Your brain is part of that system, hence, you can think better and make better decisions. Nature is man’s best medicine and psychiatrist, may I add.

I came back home stronger and ready to face it all. If you’re going through hard times, repeat after me “this too shall pass.”

FYI’s ~ The drive from Montego Bay to Treasure Beach is 2 1/2 to 3 hours depending on how many times you stop. From Kingston it’s the same. Private taxis are extremely expensive in Jamaica. Everything else is too. The bus, if you can catch it when you arrive I believe is $50. Taxis are triple that. This is not a trip to make on a budget. The airfare and airbnb were pretty standard compared to other islands but transportation just like other countries I’ve been to is really expensive for tourists. It’s one way the locals make a living. Only fair.