Truly Cool People

I believe that vacation is not about what you see and do, it is about who you meet. I’ve met all kinds of people on my travels, however, it is rare to meet people that even though the trip is over, the friendship is not.

Gina and Brian, the couple from Winnipeg – my neighbors, my beach buddies, my support system and my new friends.

I used their shower after my first three days with no hot water and found them to be really easy-going and nice people. Gina and I bonded when we were the only ones at the apartment complex with a bunch of Mexican workers who, of course, spoke no English and were looking to us for direction on furniture assembly and water heater installation.

She and I took it all in stride and sat on her deck drinking baby Corona’s and getting to know one another. She told me about her life and all of the tragedy. I sat in awe as I listened to all that she’d been through. She has such a great energy and it surprised me that someone could come through so much and still be full of light. I told her so and she replied, “I owe it all to Brian; the one constant in my life.”

As I got to know them as individuals and as a couple, I liked them more and more. Brian became my surrogate big brother, which thankfully, was okay with him. His energy is so even-keeled. A musician at heart, he and I talked a lot about music and performing.

In fact, we all sat at the beach one day planning to buy Mezzanine, a local restaurant for sale, and run it with me and Brian as bartenders and entertainment and Gina as a hostess.

One of the many things I liked about these people was the fact that throughout the trip, we had conversation – ya know, that little back and forth between people? Hard to come by, but easy with these guys.

They were generous with their time as they invited me to the beach on most days. When there was all the madness with the moped and the rumors, they were right there offering support.

If I had to sum up the two of them I’d say without hesitation, “Kindness.” I called them cool one day and Brian joked that they were far from it. But cool is not just funky clothes and trendy vocabulary. Cool is way more than that. In fact, kindness is the coolest thing ever.

So here’s to my cool friends, Brian and Gina – May the good energy you both put out into the world come back to you both ten-fold.