Harbour Island in the Bahamas embodies so many of the characteristics that I loved about Sidney, my small hometown and Byron, the street where I lived. I absolutely love driving through the streets of Dunmore Town in a golf cart, feeling the rush of fresh air and watching children playing on the pavement together, walking and talking, dancing and laughing instead of sequestering themselves inside staring at their cell phone screens.

These children seem to fully experience life... and the life of this place is like none other. The more I thought about watching kids play out in the streets, the more I decided I love this gap in time they find themselves in – where no obligations or responsibilities have invaded their sense of self, and where all of life's happenings take place and take root, shaping them into the future selves they are meant to be. And creating memories they will take with them, wherever they roam.

On Harbour Island I see old ladies gossiping on a bench, old men chatting about the government and the day's comings and goings. Younger, hard-working men and women selling beautiful straw baskets and hats in streetside stalls. A few are busy cooking up traditional Bahamian dishes to sell for breakfast and lunch. I feel the energy and the vibration of time, place, and culture.

I am sure in both Harbour Island and in my hometown there are underlying dramas and issues and problems. There is no Utopia. But there are places around the world where you can step into yesteryear. Places that have not yet leapt into the technology abyss. Places where trust and community thrive.

In Harbour Island, there’s a natural tendency to wave to whomever you pass in your golf cart. Look someone in the eye and wish them joy for the day. And all the while, the soft breezes trail. The ocean waves lap. Day rolls slowly into dusk.