I spent several vacations at a small town called Cabarete in the Dominican Republic. Cabarete is a beach community popular for kitesurfing and catamaran sailing. There’s a huge ocean bay with warm turquoise water, calm surf and sea, and gentle breezes. Watching kite surfers perform aerobatic maneuvers above the ocean and catamarans raising one hull above the ocean provided daily entertainment for a relaxing vacation.  

    Being an advert surfer, I decided one day to take a catamaran sailing lesson. I spotted a small rental and lesson business along the shoreline. It consisted of an old hut with plywood walls and a sheet metal roof. A young hip looking guy ran the business. I approached him while he waxed a surfboard.

      I smiled. “Good afternoon.”

      He glanced up. “Hi there.”

  “Do you have time for a catamaran lesson?”

     “Sure. I can get you started right away.”

     “Perfect.”

  While my instructor untied a series of ropes on the catamaran, I gazed over his old hut along the sand. Upbeat reggaeton music played overhead. Beautiful women laid nearby. Tourists examined the rental equipment consisting of catamarans, kitesurfing sails and boards, wind surfboards, regular surfboards, SUP paddle boards, boogie boards, and snorkeling gear. Everyone seemed playful and happy and into the flow of the present moment.

    I turned to my instructor: “Wow, this place really rocks. Is it always like this?

     “Yea, people enjoy hanging out here.”

     “They sure do. You own the place?”

   “Yea, about 10 years now. Where you from?”

     “California.”

     “Me too.

     I smiled again. “You enjoy your lifestyle here?”

     “Sure, what’s not to like?”

  “You got me curious. Can you tell me more?”

   “Well, there’s not much to tell. I live a simple and happy life.” He pointed down the beach. “I wake up over there at my beach house. I drink a mango smoothie, munch on some egg empanadas, jog a couple miles along the shoreline, and then walk down the beach to my shop. Turn on the music. Hang with my assistant and tourists and some local girls. Give customers lessons in the ocean. Around lunchtime, the cafe next door delivers a healthy lunch of fresh fish, veggies, and rice. Then I normally crash for an hour in the shade while my assistant runs the shop. Most afternoons are mellow, depending upon the weather and customers. At around four, I close the shop, and head home, usually with a couple girls who help me cook dinner. I then relax on the balcony and enjoy the sunset until I call it a night.”

    He triggered my imagination. “Wow! You have a perfect lifestyle. Good health. A steady income. Plenty of love. Daily happiness. You ever considered replicating your business in other towns along the coast? Like a business franchise. Rake in more money. Maybe buy a fun convertible sports car or sailboat. Take your life to a higher level.”

     He clearly didn’t buy into my suggestion. “Take my life higher? By owning more shops? I’d rather just stay here. Fresh ocean air and pristine shoreline. Plenty of healthy exercise. Helping people have fun. Hanging with kind girls. Delicious organic food. A beachfront home. No unnecessary possessions dragging me down. I don’t have a care in the world. I enjoy doing what I want every day and sleep soundly every night. Happiness is my best friend here. Why mess it up? And besides, I don’t need a convertible.  I don’t even need a car. All the stores, cafes, and entertainment are within walking distance. I plan to live this way until God takes me away.”

      I gave him a thumbs up.

      He stared over the ocean. “Ready to hit he surf?

      “Sure. Let’s do it.”

     “By the way, my name is Sean. And you?”

      “Jordan.”

      We shook hands and off we went to my first catamaran lesson.

      Sean grabbed the fiberglass hull of the catamaran, and with my assistance, we guided the catamaran from the white sandy beach into the clear turquoise sea. Sean leaped aboard the trampoline. When he signaled me, I hopped aboard. Sean grasped the ropes dangling from the main boom. After he lowered the rear rudders, and took hold of the stern tiller bar, we headed offshore toward gentle whitewater and small waves. The front hulls leaped over a couple waves before the catamaran found the smooth glassy sea.

     When a strong breeze filled the main sail and jib sail, Sean pulled the ropes tighter and the catamaran leaped forward, skimming across the warm ocean. When we picked up speed, Sean put on a trapeze harness jacket and hooked up his jacket to a guide wire attached to the mast. He stood up on one hull, hanging his body over the sea. The opposite hull quickly rose out of the water, until the catamaran sailed at a forty-five degree angle to the sky.

    What an exhilarating experience living in the present moment temporarily away from modern civilization. No buildings or streets. No cars or motorcycles. No cellphones or computers. No televisions or internet. No people or work. Only the vast turquoise sea, blue sky, and billowy clouds in every direction.

    For the remainder of my vacation, I sailed the catamaran by myself for a couple hours every morning. Afterwards, I hung out at the rental shop for a delicious lunch and more talks with Sean. One discussion surprised me. Sean’s demeanor turned serious. “I plan to become a millionaire someday.”

     I perked up. “Nice! You got a good plan?”

     “Yup. When I opened my business here, I began saving and investing most of my income. I only invest in one mutual fund that tracks the S&P 500 stock index and let it ride. I call it my ‘automatic millionaire’ plan. Assuming the S&P 500 mirrors it’s historical annual return, I figure I’ll be a millionaire by the time I reach 40. I really look forward to becoming financially independent, so I only work because I want to work instead of having to work.”

   When I returned home to California, I kept thinking about Sean’s happy and successful lifestyle, Sean’s lifestyle perfectly mirrored the rock and roll singer Bob Dylan’s definition of success. “A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.”