A Stress Free Anniversary

My 5th wedding anniversary approaches. Under other circumstances there might be stress and expectations. What to get? How to celebrate? There is none of that here. The options that can cause that type of stress simply don’t exist here.

For a fancy dinner, there is only one clear option: the Village Restaurant. It has white linen tablecloths and dinner rolls. Ooh ahh. Those two features might not seem special to you but they separate the Village from the other 6 or 7 restaurants in town. The menu isn’t much different from any of the other restaurants but ambiance is everything and the Village does have that.

With its thatch roof and open veranda overlooking the lagoon, it feels jungle-like in a completely touristy type of way. The first time I was there, I half expected Tarzan to swing in on a vine, land at the bar, and order a beer for himself and a banana daiquiri for Cheetah. Tarzan never showed but I still go back when an occasion deserves a little something special. After all, you don’t get tablecloths and dinner rolls just anywhere.

For the last 4 years, every anniversary I have purchased a bouquet of Aziatic Lillies, which served as Wenonoa’s wedding flowers. That won’t happen this year. There is no florist on the island. Oddly, there really aren’t many flowers at all. There is a lot of green but very few tropical flowers.

With dinner location an easy choice and flowers no choice, the last traditional celebratory marker would be the exchange of gifts. That won’t happen. There won’t be any trips to the mall because there is no mall. Shopping here is pretty much limited to the basic necessities. It is really one of the nice things about island life.

There are no newspaper circulars, no telemarketers, no TV infomercials trying to convince you to buy the newest, bestest, shiniest thing that will ensure a life of happiness. I’m not reminded of all the things that are missing from my life and as a result, I don’t really feel anything is missing.

Since this is the age of the internet I could have purchased a gift over the internet, I suppose many of you are thinking. True, I could have but I didn’t. I’m pretty sure Wenonoa didn’t either. If she did, I don’t have to worry. I’m the one assigned to pick up the mail from the post office and I have the only key. On the off-chance she purchased me a gift, well maybe it just won’t arrive…

Mail delivery, which most of you probably take for granted, is a mystery here even though the FSM is part of the U.S Postal Service. On October 15th, I picked up two letters, both mailed from the U.S. One was postmarked Sept 22nd and the other October 7th. You just don’t know when things will arrive here. I’m still waiting for a box of books that I mailed here when I was in New Jersey in June.

I’m told that since it’s a box, it went by boat not airplane. The time estimate I was given was 2 – 4 months. A couple of times a week I play out my own personal adaptation of Waiting for Godot and walk from my office to the post office thinking maybe it will be here today. A boat arrived yesterday, based on the produce that was in the grocery store today, so who knows, maybe my box will be there tomorrow. Now that would make for a nice anniversary gift!