Day 37 - Naples to (almost) Orando, Florida

Today we opted to not stop at any points of interest along the way, and just motor our way up first Interstate 75, then Florida route 17 towards Winter Haven and Orlando. Florida roads are pretty top notch, and for the most part the traffic was very light. As the green countryside rolled by outside our windows we discussed our visit to Florida at length (more or less because Concetta had dropped our book on tape down beside the truck door and couldn't reach it).

The reason, of course, for our visit to Florida was to connect with the multitude of Concetta's relatives who have given up battling the snow and gray skies of Ohio and have taken up mostly permanent residence in the sunshine state. Couple by couple, they've all been fleeing south and buying places in picturesque gated communities surrounded by gorgeous lakes, waving palms, and a sea of Spanish tile roofs.

To say that their new homes are a fantastic, not to mention timely answer to things like snowy winters and freezing temperatures is a gross understatement. To say that these new residences provide them with the maximum enjoyment of a dazzlingly green and flower bestrewn landscape is also an understatement. Yes, everything is truly beautiful, all the time, and in every direction you look.

Naturally, this arrangement is especially wonderful since the landscape is largely cared for by professional gardeners and paid for by nominal association fees. One need never push a mower nor scout for weeds. You are allowed to have potted plants, but you're not required to do so. You may have a screened-in porch to ward of winged creatures, but you're not required to do so. For all practical purposes it looks very much like the garden of Eden without the apple tree. You do have the snakes occasionally, but they tend to be fairly well behaved.

I, for one, did not really know how to react to this environment exactly. How could you not like it? If you happen to be retired, and most are, you get up in a leisurely fashion, pad out to the screened porch to have your coffee and listen to the birds sing while you surf the web or read the paper. The air is cool and refreshing, and the cloud-studded, achingly blue sky is a perfect backdrop for the coconut palms and flowers lining the walkways leading to a series graceful arched bridges over the nearby waterways, all visible from your patio.

Before long, when your housemates have risen for the day, you'll be digging into a succulent breakfast and making plans for lunch in a few hours. After lunch comes planning for drinks and maybe a visit to a nearby relatives' home for dinner. There's no stress. There's no hurry. It's just life in the S-L-O-W lane. There are weeks when the only thing that has a deadline is when you have to get the trash barrel rolled to the curb by pickup time.

After three days of this Garden-of-Eden lifestyle, Concetta and I had begun to get just a tad antsy. Where were the challenges? Where was the surmounting of obstacles? Something just didn't feel right!

Once before I had had the chance to do nothing much of importance for months at a time. It came when I had done my stretch in the Naval Air Corp for several years, done a half dozen semesters in college, and had decided that I needed to launch into some sort of adventure. A short time later I and my buddy, John, found ourselves living and working aboard a sixty-foot sailboat (photo below left) based in in the Mediterranean Sea. Though there was, indeed, work involved with this life aboard a sea going yacht, there was far more nightlife than worklife. Wine, women, and song was always the order of the day.

Well, contrary to what you might expect, I did not easily fall into this life of near permanent relaxation. Before a year had passed I found myself increasingly obsessed with the fact that I was not accomplishing anything of any note whatsoever. When I had passed my twelve-month anniversary I quit that job and flew back to the daily grind of the eight hour day. Believe me, I has just deliriously happy at the time.

Remembering those days under the sun-soaked skies of exotic places like Greece and Turkey, I had to ask myself just how long anyone could be happy in Florida's paradise where the toughest decision you have to master each day is whether you want one lump or two in your coffee. I'm sure many will disagree with me, but I think just a bit of adversity is absolutely essential to a healthy and happy life. Florida just doesn't make the grade in my estimation. I'd rather ply the nation's highways in a motor home, dealing with the ups and downs of travel, coming up with solutions to problems that come at you out of the blue. Florida just didn't strike me as rough and tumble enough. Very soon you couldn't help but fall into a regime of eating and drinking and very little else.

Now, having said all this, I don't think anyone can avoid the "pull" of paradise very easily. I, too, was totally wowed by the model homes we were shown. I'm sure Concetta felt the same way. No yard work to do. Jogging paths that run right by your door. Swimming pools of bathwater temperatures. Bocce courts just a golf cart ride away. Totally immaculate landscaping everywhere you look. No messy neighbors. No graffiti or litter. I didn't even hear anyone talking loudly.

Darn hard to resist.

But if you want my advice, you should resist.