Gratitude: The Simple Things in Life

Gratitude: The Simple Things in Life

9 August 2026

Sunday evening, almost half past seven. The weekend, and Sunday in particular, has flown by once again. I got up relatively late. My wife called to say that she was on her way home with her 89-year-old aunt. She suggested that we cook together. I made a counterproposal: to drive to Westpunt for lunch.

Shortly afterwards, just after noon, we set off for Westpunt. It was already over thirty degrees. Traffic was light. Despite the rain of the past few days, Bandabou was dry, and today I tried not to pay too much attention to all the litter along the way.

It was well past one when we arrived at Playa Forti. It was incredibly busy, so we decided to drive back to Dokterstuin for lunch instead. We have been going there quite often in recent weeks. Auntie had not been to this side of the island for a very long time and enjoyed the outing.

Because of the crowds and our late arrival, we had to wait longer than usual, but it was worth it. These were real Curaçao dishes: papaya stoba, lenga stoba, steak di wea, and bakiou.

It was after three when we left, and after four we were back home. Tired and satisfied. At moments like these, we say to each other that we only live once.

We live in challenging times. That certainly has its darker side, but there is still plenty to enjoy and to be grateful for.

Miguel Goede