Once a year, I get reminder by my social media accounts of the first time we visited the wonderful Maldives. If you asked my twenty year-old self if I would ever imagine finding myself in paradise, I probably would have said no, not in a million years. But I did visit and not once but twice. I got to share the experience of snorkeling in the Indian Ocean, playing with exotic fish and diving from the top of a boat into open water with my family. I got to see water that was five shades of blue, matched only by an endless sky with clouds that seem to hang within arm’s reach. I experienced, for a brief time, the laid back life of islanders. It was a very enriching experience.

What I wouldn’t give to go back once more!