Believe it or not, summer is drawing to a close. In May, I dreamt of jetting away to a tropical destination, lounging under a palm tree, drinking fruity drinks with paper umbrellas and losing myself in a novel. In actuality, my summer consisted of camping trips with the kids, popsicles on the back porch and afternoons by the wading pool. Fun? Sure…but not quite the same.

So, while my dreams of a leisurely Caribbean holiday may remain unrealized (at least for this year), that’s no reason to miss out on a little mental vacation. With September around the corner, we may not be able to hop a plane to an exotic locale, but we can take a moment on this last Thursday in August to take a deep breath and give our minds and spirits a much-needed Caribbean getaway. Enjoy!

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me),
It’s always our self we find in the sea.
~e.e. cummings

Be an explorer. The universe is filled with wonder and magical things.
~ Flavia

Travel makes one modest, you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.
~ Gustave Flaubert

Find what brings you joy and go there.
~ Jan Phillips

You can fall in love at first sight with a place as well as a person.
~ Alec Waugh

For travel to be delightful, one must have a good place to leave and return to.
~ Frederick B. Wilcox

No matter what happens, travel gives you a story to tell.
~ Jewish Proverb

Why do we love the sea? It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think.
~Robert Henri

He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left.
~ Chinese Proverb

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

photos istockphoto.com