Black Hole

I just came back from vacation. My partner and I went away for 10 whole days. Just the two of us. It was the longest time we had spent together – no kids or families or other friends – in our seven year relationship.

Isla Holbox

We went to a small island called Isla Holbox (pronounced Hol-BOSH) which is in the Gulf of Mexico off the Yucatan Peninsula. There are no cars on this island (well, that’s what we thought. With construction booming, we did have to share the road with a few outsized vehicles). Taxis are golf carts. We rode bikes. We walked.

The name Holbox is a Mayan word for Black Hole. While, for many, the translation might have a negative connotation, for me, it meant I experienced vacation in the true sense of the word. 

As a business owner and single parent, my life is very full. There is rarely a time when I have nothing that needs to be done. And when I do find myself thinking that, I quickly find something else that has to be done. 

As a fitness professional, my life is very physical (something I wouldn’t trade), but I find myself increasingly physically and mentally impacted by the work. Is it the state of the world at large? Is it the fact that I am getting older? Is it all the responsibilities of an adult life? Yes. It is all of those things and so much more. 

So when I was in the Black Hole for 10 days, I had nothing I needed to do. There was warm, blue water to sit in. There was a long sandbar to walk along. There were fish and birds to watch. Fish tacos to eat. Books to read. Sunsets to watch. 

I realize I am fortunate. I can disappear for 10 days to a place like Holbox. But I also realize that there is something glorious in finding the Black Hole and being able to live there even if for a little while.