Island living. Sailor drifting.

”I hope they like each other” was my immediate response when I heard that Levitha, the island we were approaching with our sailboat, had only two inhabitants. Measuring nine square kilometers, Levitha is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea with a hidden bay, the perfect mooring spot for the night. We drop anchor and spend hours swimming and snorkeling in the turquoise waters, skin hot and sticky from sun and salt. The only thing we spot moving on the island are goats, lots of them. It’s dry and rocky with a few spikey shrubs, not really the place you would imagine cozy habitation. So who are these people that call this harsh place home? My curiosity calls.

We take the dingy and row to land, exploring up a path that leads to the cutest house, blinding white with green window shutters. The perfect Greek architecture. Self sufficient with solar panels and vegetable gardens. Several tables are set under a covering of dried palm leaves and vines, as if they’re expecting guests. They offer a meal made from their local produce, greens, goat cheese and goat patties on the grill. And of course chilled home made white wine. The meal is fit for the gods, and is probably what Zorba the Greek ate.

The island family has three children (proof that the two people do like each other), Katarina the 13 year old entrepreneur who is selling crafts she’s made with collected salt and shells, 10 year old Dimitrios who is already an expert waiter with a smile that melts anything in his way, and Stavros, the three year old boy nicknamed “The Terror”. The mother is creating magic in the kitchen, the father is running all parts of the taverna, and the kids are happily contributing. My heart melts while I interact with this loving family who are living a life that defies urbanism. And oozing with joy.

The father tells us that the family has been living on the island for seven generations. Alone. I’m mesmerized. What a hard life. What an amazing life. I ask what they do in the winter to which the father answers, “We tend the goats”. I try to imagine this life. Right now it feels like paradise, but it’s the winter struggles I’m impressed with.

What a connected existence. A life unchanged after several centuries. A gentle reminder that happiness is found in authentic living. That contentment is where the heart is. And right now my heart and my butt is calling a sailboat home, gliding on the Greek waters, exploring new places daily, doing all things amazing. My world is getting bigger. And so are my dimples.