One of my favorite places in the universe to be is the island of St. John in the US Virgin Islands. What's the magic people will ask. It is so hard to define, but I will try.The magic is that after traveling to at least a 1/2 dozen other islands, I never have felt more at home than I do on STJ. I step off the ferry from St. Thomas and I just feel different. Calm, happy, sedate, warm, welcome. It seems like the stress and frustration of daily life just melts away with the sight of Cruz Bay.
The magic is that though this island is not perfect, it is real. There is traffic, congestion, overdevelopment looming ... but there are acres and acres of pristine park land, Francis bay with its sea turtles, Uncle Joe's with his finger licking BBQ, the goats that you nearly hit coming around the corners over in Coral Bay, and ultimately the freedom to wake up each day and say..."which beach is it today?" and know that NO matter what you choose you can't go wrong.
The magic is that no matter how many times I come back I discover something new each time. All I can say for sure is that the magic must be real, because my almost 4 year old who was 3 at the time - and has traveled all over - keeps asking to go back to our St John house! ;)
I am usually a rush around kind of gal, do as much as I can as fast as I can. In STJ, I linger. I laze in the pool, nursing a fronzen concoction. I smile more. I laugh so hard at times my stomach hurts the next morning. I dream more.
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