Mesmerized by the light trails of the paddles against the glass water we suddenly hear " Happy" by Pharrell Williams blaring from the other side of the island. I had seen almost no one on the island so I figured, maybe we had been missing party all along(although, that was alright since I came to get away from the bustle of the city). Curiosity always seems to get the best of me, and a beer sounded great so- we kayaked across the cove and began to realize the song was on repeat. Someone is really happy! Expecting a large party...we walk up the dock to see three men: An Irishman is dancing with his tiny white dog while air boxing, an old fat German man who is surrounded with a cloud of smoke and a permanent smile also shaking his body, and a teenage Cambodian boy dressed like a perfect hipster laughing the whole time and moving his feet across the whole bar. I asked them what they are celebrating and they yell, " WE LIVE HERE! THATS WHAT WE ARE CELEBRATING!" So.....what do we do? We dance too of course! It was the only thing to do with that kind of authenticity- it is contagious and invites you to join immediately.....
The song came on about 5/6/7 more times until we collapsed in our chairs with short quick breaths. It is at that moment that my sweet Dutch roommate falls in love with the dog and I fall in love with the whole scene filled simply with diversity celebrating the obvious. We head back through the sparkling waters to our beds hidden under a mosquito net- only a stone's throw from the ocean and open to the fresh air, but covered in case it rains during this season of downpours. Perfect end to a great day.
It seems to be the simplest things that compel us to dance on repeat. I am going to focus on finding more of the obvious joy that exists for all of us everyday, because the reality is- it is there always.
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