For Valentines, this year, I got nothing. No fancy chocolates, no expensive jewelry, no fashion clothes, no shinny shoes, no perfumed flowers and no cute little boxes. And yet, it was one of the best.
For Valentines, we were lucky enough to be in the middle of our family vacation, blessed with free babysitting (aka my parents), and the cruise we were in had just made a stop at a coastal city full of tourism potential. Such grouped coincidences don't come that often in our after kids life, so we decided to fully embrace the opportunity!
Packed with essentials, we joined a tour that drove us through the city of Maceió listening to interesting local stories told by our tour guide that I am sure spoke only about 50% of the same Portuguese I speak! Everything else was filled with local jargon that probably is enough to fill its own dictionary.
After that, a boat ran through channels of water to take us to our final destination: One of the most beautiful Brazilian beaches; Praia do Gunga. The beach is in fact a coconut tree farm that supplies coconuts to a large Brazilian company and the entire beach has an owner that profits from the coconut sale. The water is a beautiful mix of blues and greens, and it could have looked better except it was cloudy for some parts of the day (a benefit to our fair complexion due to the winter here).
I would have to say that after having been there I am not sure if this is one of the most beautiful Brazilian beaches that I have been to but I would surely say that this is as far from civilization as I got in a while, and there is an unique beauty in being on a beach and not seeing any buildings or houses in the background.
I will probably always remember this trip, not only because we had such a romantic valentines day, but romance aside, it struck me to watch as the boat moved through the waters, the fishermen houses in the distance, many of them built from mud, the sight of their rustic boats passing by, and the wonder of a simple life.
When you are surrounded by so much, and when sometimes the abundance gives less than it gets, it is time to stop and rethink what really matters. I am sure that the fisherman simple life is not that simple. It is rough, it is hard, it is exhausting. And it is the middle point the hardest to reach. The balance.
For Valentines I got the opportunity to see the World from a difference perspective. To let the fisherman teach me with his life that the real Valentines Day is really about softening the heart to let it feel the other, even if it may hurt a little.