It will come as no surprise I'm sure to hear that Fiji is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Dramatic green mountains poke up out of a warm aqua sea. There's palm trees, exotic flowers and sandy beaches. The Fijian people are smiley and friendly and nothing is too much trouble. H and I have a bura (beach hut) 10 paces from the beach which is kitted out with a terrace, a couple of very comfy beds, a sofa and chairs and an outside shower in its own private garden. It manages to be simple and luxurious at the same time. The resort is large considering there aren't more than 40 or so guests and it has a pool, activity hut, restaurant and bar. I might get a massage today. H and I are rather like the queen in that we don't need currency here, just a signature ;)
And yet.... I've met quite a few people who aren't in a state of total blissed out contentment. It turns out lying around is actually quite boring (there's a lot of people drinking in the afternoon, not that I'm one to judge...), it's easy to get complacent (someone said to me 'I decided not to travel around the islands too much because they're all much of a muchness' which is fair enough for him but slightly harsh on Fiji's 322 islands which I'm sure are all unique!), general apathy sets in (the local cultural centre is a very achievable 20-30 min walk away but all I feel I can manage is the 10 paces today), or with so much time to think there's a danger of homesickness. So even though we're in paradise it doesn't always feel like it....
This issue of contentment is one that I've mulled on with Christian friends as we try to follow Paul's example and be happy with what God gives us in life and not sweat what we don't have but would quite like (Philippians, especially chapter 4, is a good place to find out more). And I think this leg of our trip has reinforced for me that we're are right to do that because contentment and deep down happiness is not situational, it's not about the surroundings. Fiji is proof.
Which begs the question, what does make us happy...?! Now actually (despite this ridiculously navel gazing blog) I am very relaxed and happy here and yesterday was probably my best day so far. I'm putting that down to two things, first that I dived with sharks (in the open sea with no cage, there were lots of varieties, the largest being a group of 11ft mama Bulls, they were so close it was awesome, truly the most amazing creatures I've ever encountered) and second that H and I went out for a nice dinner and, as well as the yummy food, we had really good chats. So I think doing something extraordinary that I was previously quite scared of and having a lovely time with a best friend have definitely been ways for me to feel fulfilled and happy! Sadly though I don't think I can dive with sharks everyday, and even if I did the appeal might wear thin, so I'll just have to look forward to the next adventure on this little trip around the globe :)
So to sum up, yes, maybe it is easy to be very content and happy with life here in Fiji!
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