One of my favorite parts of our recent family vacation was our trip to Maya Key Private Resort. If you ever find yourself in Roatan this is a must see sight. I liked that this stop had something for everyone. It was hard to find excursions that we could all enjoy, since Madilyn has a limited range of activities in which she can participate.
Maya Key had a swimming pool, an animal refuge, beach, and great snorkeling. David and I had to take turns snorkeling so that one of us could be with Madilyn at all times. However, this arrangement provided both of us one on one time with both kids.
I’ll be honest on our last cruise I went snorkeling and loved it but halfway back to shore my legs gave out and I thought I might drown. The guide had to help me back to shore. I was more than a little embarrassed and the entire event really depressed me. No…. I was not really drowning, well not drowning in water, but in self-pity. I was upset that I was not in good enough physical shape to actually complete the snorkel on my own.
To my surprise this time I entered the water with a new confidence. I did not fear that I would not be able to make the swim back unassisted. I KNEW I would be able to do this on my own. I knew this because I am in much better physical condition than I was on my last snorkel trip. It was a great feeling.
I swam through the shallow reefs and made it to the drop off. Wow…. the water at the drop off was amazing. It was a color of blue that I can not even begin to describe. The water temperature dropped and I felt exhilarated. I swam into the drop off and the entire time I was thinking about the movie Nemo… you know the part where Nemo’s dad finds out he and his friends have gone to explore the drop off. I tried not to think about that since that scene ends up leading Nemo into trouble. I really did not want Caleb to explore the drop off because of worry about the unknown and the dangers that could be lurking just beyond the shallow waters. I tried hard not to worry about Caleb and his exploring the drop off but you know mom’s we always worry about something.
It was quite amazing to explore what lies beneath. It was even more amazing to explore the drop off with my son. He was excited and pointed out every fish and coral formation that he found so that I would not miss anything. In the past I could not keep up with him, but this time I was able to match his stride.
I learned a lot on this excursion. I learned that I can do more than I think I can. I learned that sometimes we need to let go and let our kids explore the drop offs in life~ even when it may be hard to do so. I learned that I can have fun with my son even though right now he is a very grumpy teen. I was reminded that I was once a teen experiencing growing pains, not a kid but not an adult, it is a hard place to be. I became encouraged to continue with my new healthy life style so that in the future I can have even more adventures. I would love to learn to scuba dive… maybe that can be our next big adventure.
Tags: NCL Star, Roatan, Snorkeling