Posted By Tom W. on Sep 10, 2015 in Things That Don't Suck | 2 comments

Tagged: beach bar, family

Why don’t I chuck it all and move to the Caribbean to open a beach bar? In the end, it comes down to one word – family.

I came across the above scene yesterday on my way home from work and had to take a picture of it to preserve the moment. It was my daughter and my father biking down the road in front of me and it was too precious of a moment to pass up. I then posted the picture to my personal Facebook page and included the following description:

“I get asked a lot of times why we don’t just move south to Florida or the Caribbean. While there are a few reasons, it’s moments like this that really sum it up. Those areas might have beautiful beaches and beach bars calling my name but they don’t have my dad going on a bike ride with Harper and that pretty much trumps everything else. Time spent with her grandpa is precious and I plan on giving her as much time as possible to make memories that will last a lifetime. The swilling of rum can wait.”

The post exploded, quickly garnering 100 likes and approaching 160 as of this morning. The comments were plentiful as well, with 20 so far, including a couple from my mom that could be classified as novellas (side note – it always makes for a joyous evening when you find out you weren’t aborted). When I realized how popular the posting had become, I decided to turn it into an article and provide the answer to a question I hear a lot – “Why don’t you just move to the Caribbean and open a beach bar?”

Being involved in the beach bar business is in my future whether it be as a broker, server, owner, promoter or whatever role I end up falling into. Until that day arrives, I’ll spend time preparing for it through my writing, research and maybe getting involved in the bar business in my hometown. When it comes to moving to the Caribbean to make my dream come true, however, that can wait. Right now, it’s all about family and that one word answers the question as succinctly as I can. Sure, there are other influences such as a lack of money and a job with insurance but family is the real reason I’m staying put … for now. That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop visiting beach bars and conducting “research” but for this moment, it’s all about something a little more important to me. Unless someone calls from St. Kitts, Anguilla or one of my other dream destinations and gives me an offer I can’t refuse. Then grandma and grandpa will have to fly south and combine their memory making with a little bit of rum swilling. Memories are great and all but they’d sure be a lot more memorable at a beach bar in the Caribbean.