Alright, let’s talk about Port Royal, Bermuda. For the longest time, that name just conjured up images of turquoise water, old forts, and, yeah, maybe a bit of that pirate treasure adventure. It wasn’t just a spot on a map for me; it was this idea, this escape I was building up in my head.
I actually got pretty serious about making it happen a few years back. This wasn’t some idle daydream, mind you. I started a dedicated savings jar, literally. Every spare bit of cash went in there. I even remember spending a good few weekends down at the library, not online, but with actual books, digging into the history of the place. Thought knowing all that would make the trip richer, you know? My big plan was to properly explore, maybe even try some scuba diving to see some of those famous wrecks. That was the “practice” then – saving, researching, planning out routes. I was all in.
Then, well, life does what it does best: throws a spanner in the works. My sister, she had her first kid, and things got complicated. Really complicated. She needed help, serious help, and I was the one who could step up. So, just like that, the Bermuda fund got emptied out, not for a plane ticket, but for baby stuff and helping her family stay afloat while she recovered. Port Royal? Vanished. Poof.
Suddenly, my “practice” shifted. Instead of charting courses on a map of Bermuda, I was learning how to navigate a two-hour-old’s feeding schedule. Instead of researching shipwrecks, I was researching colic remedies at 3 AM. My grand adventure turned into warming bottles and endless nappy changes. It was exhausting, I won’t lie. There were days I barely saw sunlight.
Looking back, though, it’s funny.
That whole period, it wasn’t what I planned. Not even close. There were no sunny beaches or historic ruins. But the stuff I learned? You can’t put a price on that. I learned about patience, real bone-deep patience. I learned about how strong family can be when things get tough. I got to see my niece grow, day by day, which is a kind of treasure you don’t dig up from the sand.
Do I still think about Port Royal, Bermuda? Yeah, from time to time. It’s still a beautiful thought. But that unexpected detour, that time spent helping my sister, it taught me that sometimes the most important journeys are the ones you never planned to take. You find different kinds of riches. And you know what? I wouldn’t trade those months for any island vacation. Not anymore. It changed my perspective on what a real “escape” or “adventure” is all about.
