To the Editor:
Every so often I happen upon one of those moving accounts of unique courage and personal strength that just make my heart go all aflutter with reestablished faith in humanity. The latest of such gems was undoubtedly "My Idea of Paradise" by Abigail Drachman-Jones (The Dartmouth, Jan. 8). I can barely find the words to praise her perseverance and silver-lining sensibility to appreciate the little things in life under the cloud of hardships of a Caribbean exile without blitz, stores or cabana boys.
It's just heart-warming to hear from someone with the special brand of idealistic wisdom to appreciate family, nature and quiet in an impersonal world of cynicism. It's not easy being stuck on a gorgeous island in the Caribbean, mixing your own pina coladas (the horror!) and tortured by the thought of the Sex and the City marathons you're missing while everyone else in the world is having the time of their lives working, loitering and shoveling snow somewhere NOT in the Caribbean, worrying about the credit card debt they stacked up buying Christmas presents after they misplaced their trust funds.
Abby, I think the tinted Prada sunglasses just might be distorting your view of the world. Reading this tale of human strength got me all choked up, but that turned out to be my finger sticking down my throat. Your article leaves no poor-little-rich-girl cliches and no stomach unturned.
