No man is an island...

The poem, written by John Donne is one of my old favorites. A classic. When I received a request form a client this week for a sojourn on an island... I immediately completed the first line of the poem in my mind. "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main".

So, I thought to myself...what do they really want? Are they just wanting a sinful indulgence, or is there more to the story? We are all connected, that is the main theme of the poem... but heaven knows, we need a break from "the whole" every now and then. Right?

I could think of no better place than North Island and Fregate Island, tucked away in the Seychelles... for those lucky enough to afford this ... it is a non-pecuniary, priceless experience, that happens to carry a price tag. Then again, can you put a price on solace? I watched the documentary film on the life of Amy Weinhouse this past weekend... I was left with sadness and a new understanding of the kinds of pressures the popular and the famous have. Then brought it down a couple of notches to the wealthy with their own stress and responsibilities, and then through a couple of casts in the social arrangement of modern day life... right down to my level (happily tucked in the middle). Sitting here at my humble desk... working in silence and looking at these amazing destinations on offer. It dawned on me this week... after 20 years in the industry, how what I do, pay it forward to the whole... the continent, and Mr and Mrs Schwartz that "God knows, needs the break". No one knows my name, beyond some correspondence. Post a client’s trip I fade into memory... and that sits well with me... but, the experience for my clients, that remains a lifetime, and that is quite a responsibility.  

If we have a physical ailment, we see a doctor... if we are in need of mental healing... we see a psychologist... what to do if your spirit needs rest? When you feel that energy source that fuels your being, dying down? Well, now you see... that is where I come in... It brings me to another of my favourite poems. Max Ehrman wrote "Desiderata" (Latin: "desired things") in 1927. "Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence".

Silence! That is what the teacher shouts at the head of a class that is running amok. It makes you jump back into reality, back to the moment, back to the command. Well, our lives get to that point, where someone or something needs to shout SILENCE! Bring you to a halt.

Africa, Indian Ocean Islands... a monastery... that is where you find that "silence". Everyone has their own preference to experiencing silence. That silence is the key to recovery. The best setting... easy... a trip to the cradle of humankind...or an island. That is where you find the best milieu to finding your own piece of silence.

When I get a new request from a client, I aim to give them that silence... it could be an amazing-silence (seeing the sun set on Africa), it could be an awkward-silence (viewing a live kill on a game drive), or it could be that personal-silence (when you sit on your own, on the deck of your villa...staring across the ocean) ... When I conjure up a trip to one of the many marvelous destinations, my aim is simply to give you that moment of silence so needed. I don’t need much acknowledgement for what I do for a living, it transcends all that. Just knowing that I played my part in paying it forward is sufficient and rewarding.