6 Ways Life In Jamaica Has Changed Me
I sat on the beach the other evening, watching a gorgeous sunset and evaluating my life. I thought back to my early days in Jamaica and realized that I’ve changed in so many ways since then. The way I think, act and even live has evolved since I stopped thrashing against the flow. I’ve joined the rhythm of life in Jamaica and it feels good.
One of the biggest changes is that I feel healthy!
Coming here to escape our cold, dark, damp New Hampshire winters has relieved most of my joint pain. The doctors try to tell me that sunshine and heat trigger autoimmune diseases like my lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. I spent many years avoiding the sun and guess what? I ended up sick, miserable and severely vitamin D deficient. I wrote more about these health benefits in this post, Jamaica, for Your Health.
Since I started spending time in Jamaica, my autoimmune issues have all but gone into remission. I’m not currently on any medications to treat any of them. I have no swelling, no pain, no hot joints or fatigue. I really feel amazing and am able to exercise to the tune of walking 6 or 7 miles per day, swimming for a chunk of time, and biking.
I’m certain that part of this good health comes from the changes in my diet.
Although the typical Jamaican diet is full of starches, carbs and meats, it’s not hard to break away from that if you try. If you give up eating out in the cook shops or at least leave out the side dishes, you can eat a healthy diet.
Fruit is literally dripping from trees all over town. Depending on the season, mangos, oranges, lemons, bananas, melons, sour sop and plantains are easy to find. Even if you don’t have them in your yard, all you have to do is step through your gate. Cars and vans come right to you, full of fresh produce. It couldn’t be easier.
Most areas of Jamaica also have farmers growing lettuce, peas, carrots Irish potatoes, cabbage, herbs, tomatoes and anything else you could want. Huge fields abound in scallions, yams, and other roots crops ALL YEAR LONG! You can’t lose!
Heart healthy fish is a staple of Jamaican diet. Often served steamed or roasted, it is usually stuffed with sliced veggies and maybe a surprisingly hot scotch bonnet pepper or two. Let me tell you, those peppers can really sneak up on you! I’m told they will cure whatever ails you as they “flush through” your system. Ahem. That’s exactly what I’d like to avoid, thank you very much!
Although life everywhere has its own stressors, I’ve come to realize that we have choices in how stressed we get.
Yes, there are a few Jamaican drama queens who love to spice life up with hearty gossip and wild stories. (For instance, I just learned this morning that I’m apparently divorcing my husband…as the story goes.) At times, they push my stress buttons and my blood pressure rises. Where this could have really undone me in days gone by, I now just think it through and then dismiss it.
While many Jamaicans may report feeling stressed about school fees, fuel prices or other life expenses, they still spend a lot of time sitting around laughing. I’ve only met one Jamaican woman who is eternally scowling. No matter how I joke around with her, chit-chat or smile, she just won’t crack!
In general, I feel like most Jamaicans go with the flow. There seems to be this unspoken state of mind that says “Every little thing is gonna be alright.” They express feelings of expectation about solutions rather than fretting and worrying, like we talked about in “Just Roll With It.”
Sometimes, the best gifts come in the most tattered and torn packages.
In my previous post, Common Ground, I talked about Angus, the man I think of as my Jamaican father. He could not be more torn and tattered, nearly deaf and partly blind, even missing all of his teeth, but he runs DEEP. I’ve had some of the most informative conversations of my life with him. Angus tells it like it is, whether you want the brutal truth or not.
He amazed me today when I went over for our afternoon chat. He started questioning me about the new surveillance cameras. Angus had somehow noticed that the little light was coming on when he walked by one camera but not the other. We are talking about a bulb the size of the head of a pin, hung 10 feet up from the ground, but he could somehow see it.
I explained to him that I had to turn off one camera until a branch was cleared away. It kept setting off the motion detector. He said, “So once you turn it back on, you’ll be able to see ME, all the way from foreign?” I said, yes, and told him he needs to face the camera and wave at me every morning so I don’t miss him so much when I’m back in the states.
His face lit up like a Christmas tree. With me through thick and thin, I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I had judged his book by it’s cover. His wisdom, kindness and jokes have carried me through when others failed me.
The most unexpected change I’ve seen in myself is that I can live with so much less “stuff” than I ever believed I could.
In the beginning of setting up the house down here, I brought down suitcases full of “necessary” items. Decent sheets, towels, good pans, useful kitchen tools, etc took up my allotted suitcase weight to where I had to skimp on clothing brought down.
As time went by, I was invited into more and more Jamaican homes. I realized that I could run a restaurant with the array of kitchen gear I brought down. My friends kitchens were so much more limited. Clothing, bedding, furniture, or whatever, I realized that I was used to abundance and even overkill.
I now find myself picking up items when I’m out shopping but then talking myself out of buying them. I find my life feeling way too cluttered and complicated when I’m back in the states. I’m embracing the more simple life and finding that it, too, lowers my stress levels. The more stuff we have, the more we have to worry about it. Who needs that?
I’d have to say that the most enjoyable change I’ve experienced is discovering how easy it is to make someones day brighter.
Anyone who has ever been to Jamaica will tell you that Jamaicans are experts at staring right in your eyes, never breaking contact. I now use that to my advantage, staring back while exchanging kind words. I have made some great friends this way. Now, people hanging out around town aren’t just looking AT me, they are looking out FOR me.
As much as I’d like to say that I started this trend, I must admit that I was the receiver of this positive input right from the beginning. I’ve now learned that if I smile and say a little nicety to a friend or stranger walking by, they smile, reciprocate and just walk lighter. That’s a great feeling!
While I’ll admit that I do get frustrated with the somewhat archaic ways some things are done here, I do believe that, overall, it’s a better way of life. I’m enjoying being free of joint pain and migraines. Even my weight is easy to maintain.
Stress levels are lower than ever and I’ve made some amazing friends. Do you think Jamaica would help you live a better life? Tell me what has had positive impact in YOUR life in the comment section below!
We would love to stay in touch so please go to any of the subscribe boxes and sign up to be on our current e-newsletter list. You won’t get loaded up or harassed. No spam, ever.
Feel free to share this post on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter via our easy share buttons. If posting to Pinterest, you’ll find some pins hidden when you hit the “pin it” button!
10 Amazing Travel Tips Free!
Subscribe and we will send you a very helpful FREE list of things to do before you travel abroad. Trust me, I've made every travel mistake in the book. Let me save YOU some headaches!
2 Comments
Gerard Carter
I can also verify about the effects the climate has on health. My wife also suffers badly with rhumatoid arthritis but it quickly subsides once she is in Jamaica. In fact her general health improves and she just loves the oportunity to indulge in the array of vegetarian options. I like my meat and seafood ,and when you are cooking meals at home its difficult to prepare two different meals all the time. In Jamaica we can both indulge in what we prefer. Thanks for another great article.
Jamerican
Gerard, I often wonder just what it is about Jamaica that makes such a difference in my health. My other home is in New Hampshire, in the far north east section of the USA. The weather there is notorious for changing rapidly and frequently. I’ve often wondered if it wasn’t this constant change in barometric pressure that aggravates my RA. Does your wife seem to make that correlation? Just curious. I agree that the dietary changes, warm weather, etc help but sometimes, I swear that I feel better as I get off the plane! It’s so odd…and wonderful!