  
Dances with Sanibel
Dances with Sanibel begins immediately after you pass the tollbooth. You leave behind the rat race, the stress of the daily grind. Your blood pressure begins to drop. Suddenly, you leave the old universe and enter a new one, a tropical Sedona in Southwest Florida.
As you drive over the Caloosahatchee the causeway islands seduce you. You fall for it- the grace of the coconut palms soothed by sea winds, whispering pines, glittering leaves of sea grapes, closed eyes of sun worshippers and anglers oblivious to all but the sea.
You are awakened by the gliding and diving of brown pelicans, squabbling seagulls, chattering crows and the sneaky approach of the nosy egret… all guarded by the great blue heron, the sheriff of the white sands. By the time you spot the dolphin in the midst of the silvery white caps of the restless sea, you have entered the “Sanctuary Island”.
It is a living laboratory of human relations where 5,000 islanders coexist with Mother Nature on a land that is 12 miles long and 2 miles wide. They seek peace and serenity; they find ways to live in harmony with; nature. Being a minority they have little choice but to respect the majority population: alligators, osprey, sea turtles, egrets, ibis, heron, woodpeckers, anhingas, snook, redfish and thousands of their relatives.
As you are preparing for the dance, you adorn yourself with a tropical lei made of wild periwinkle. You sense the shadows of pioneers, the farmers of sugar cane and tomatoes.
You see ordinary people who have an extraordinary vision in forging an uncommon partnership with nature. Today’s residents are painfully aware that like life itself, Sanibel is permanently temporary. Mother Nature is in charge. One powerful hurricane or tidal wave can abruptly stop the dance.
Yet, people who live here, in this non-gated community, do not dwell on it. They love a simple life. The visitors want a piece of it. They keep coming back to dance with the hibiscus and bougainvillea, frangipani and orchids and to flirt with junonia one more time.
Now that you are on the dance floor-admiring the shells, watching the sunrise, fishing, painting or simply vegging on the beach – you become oblivious to the outside world and who has done what to you. You begin to heal – your broken heart, loss of a dear one, corporate restructuring, loss of self-esteem, punishment for doing the right thing. You learn forgiveness. You learn to respect yourself, the nature and the ambiance. You become a “Sanibel Stoop.” You have been seduced and healed.
As Florence Fritz wrote:
“You may walk the silver sands and pathways of shell and begin to wonder; who came here? What happened long ago? Who is that shuffling old man trudging along like a phantom in the dusk? Is he Indian? Is he a Spaniard? Ask him – you may here his soft answer coming back to you: Quien sabe, senor… Who Knows? Who Knows?”
The dance is over for now, but you wish it would never end. When will you be back?
“May I have the next dance?”
Dr. Gopal Pati, Chairman: Wildlife committee of Sanibel
Compliments of Marlene Donaldson, Realtor VIP Realty Group
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