Isla Mujeres - Or Our Last Adventure

On Monday, the last day before we parted ways, we decided for one last adventure to Isla Mujeres, a very small island off the coast of Cancun. We took the ferry over and had planned to get the recommended golf cart to tool around the island but we couldn't find one that seem to be reasonably priced, or the price quoted by the person on the street was not the same price we were told to actually pay. 

What sounded fun was a several hour snorkeling tour around the island stopping at some pretty cool spots. We were interested, but then we remembered that many of us suffer from sea sickness, and we declined. We wandered aimlessly for a while, still trying our luck to rent a golf cart, sit by the ocean, or just decide what to do with our time. Eventually we made it back to the guy offering the snorkeling trip and this time we accepted. So glad we did. Interestingly enough I got the most nauseous bobbing around on the sea while snorkeling then in the boat. But the fishes were interesting, the coral was cool, and the underwater sculptures, were fascinating. It's called the the underwater museum. Look it up.

What I loved about our tour, other than finally getting to use the snorkel mask I bought special for the trip, and meeting the fun families sharing the day with us, was the other spiritual connection I made while snorkeling. When you are snorkeling, and I found this out when I went snorkeling with my college roommates in Maui a few years ago, it is so very easy to get separated from your group. You get so interested in looking down that you can lose track of what's going on on the periphery. I quickly learned that if I wanted to stay with my group I needed to look up from time to time and course correct when necessary. This made me think of just how important taking the sacrament each week is for me. And it made me think of a quote I heard years ago:

"… No man goes away from this Church and becomes an apostate in a week, nor in a month. It is a slow process. The one thing that would make for the safety of every man and woman would be to appear at the sacrament table every Sabbath day. We would not get very far away in one week—not so far away that, by the process of self-investigation, we could not rectify the wrongs we may have done. … The road to the sacrament table is the path of safety for Latter-day Saints. …" - Elder Melvin J. Ballard

I think we are supposed to look down and really get into what we are trying to get done during the week. It's why we are here on earth and why I went snorkeling - to experience something really cool. The trip would have been wasted if I had spent the whole time looking for my guide. It's why we are told to be in the world. It's why we aren't asked to live cloistered lives spent in quiet study and contemplation. But if I had spent my whole time "experiencing" I would have gotten lost and potentially harmed. It's the magical mix of both, the marveling at the wonders under the sea and reorienting myself to my group that made the trip so worthwhile and safe. What a cool realization for me that added yet more dimension to the trip.

Once we were done with our excursion, we headed off in search of souvenirs to take home to our families (well not me, I had already spent my wad on our Mayan Ruins day) and then I wanted to do a bit more walking. So fascinating that on one side of the island you have so much beautiful sand and gorgeously colored water. On the other, not even a half a mile away, you get rocks and coral and zero beach. What you trade for the beach is a lovely pathway to walk along in the shade. It was the perfect, calm way to end our time on Isla Mujeres.

By the time we got back to our hotel it was time for the sunset, and after a week of being in Cancun and not taking proper pictures of the sunset, we finally made it a priority as a group. 

It was such a beautiful evening to cap off a memorable trip with my darling sisters. With four women who were all blessed with very strong personalities, there was so much potential for drama, and yet there just wasn't. We had meaningful conversations, made amazing memories, played LOTS of card games, and enjoyed being together. It was perfect.

And now I'm ready to be home with my darling family. Until next time sister dears.