My thoughts continue to go out to the folks and friends who — as a result of Hurricane Elsa going through Barbados here — are now at Day 5 of no electricity and/or water, to the folks still clearing up and repairing damage, to the workers working long, late, hot hours to get power and water back to the whole island, and to the communities still helping, checking in, and looking after each other.

Some added splashes of color to the usual beach view.

This small island with many big charms still has its fair share of “it’s the small things” to appreciate.

Coming out of Massy Supermarket in Oistins, laden with more groceries than I know I should be carrying, I cross the road to have a seat in the bus shelter to grab a ZR van back home.

Unlike back in my hometown on NYC, where riders fight to hail cabs, here the often plentiful ZRs hail riders, and they come by often enough — again, unlike NYC — if I miss one, another is soon to shortly follow.

Which means that, at this particular bus stop, need only pivot 35° to my left to take in the sights and sounds of the sea, surf, and sky, as a sedative and salve for my spirit and soul — all mere feet away before I eventually safe away home, soothed and serene.

Different view than I’m used to on my walk this morning. Hugging the whole island.

Thanks to continued in-home PT, very scenic walks around my neighborhood, and restorative sea baths when it’s safe for me to enjoy them, I am ever hopeful that I will be finally able to join Gregory and Roger’s local biking business @ebikebarbados to take in a more visually and experientially botanical tour of this lush island.

I could only stay an hour at the pop-up clean-up and garden-installation event from two weekends ago — organized by @ecorebelbarbados and @pro.source.ltd — so I missed the completion of the community-painted waste repository.

I was happy to stumble upon it today, taking in its area beautification in all its glory.

Literally the calm before the storm.

Now that incoming planes don't make me nearly as anxious as they did earlier this year, every time I see one approaching BGI airport I think about when I first set eyes upon the island through my Jet Blue window seat, not knowing at all what to expected.

And now after almost nine months here I realize that even if I had had any expectations, my time here has fully exceeding them, in so many positive ways.