I got back from the Bahamas yesterday afternoon around 5. It was a great trip, and the resort was really nice. I stayed at Atlantis, and it’s almost a self-contained city. They have 5 hotels on the property, four of which are almost Vegas-size. Two of the larger towers have what looks like a huge crosswalk connecting them, and it’s actually a 2500 sq ft. room that Opera and Michael Jackson reportedly frequent. It can be had for a mere $25K/night.

The property has around 30 restaurants, and many of them are Vegas and NY favorites. I ate a Nobu which was excellent, and another restaurant on the property where scenes from the latest Bond movie were filmed. There’s a Vegas-style casino, complete with Chaholie (sp?) glasswork reminiscent of the Bellagio and a complete water park with pools and slides everywhere.

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I’m making this posting from Paradise Island, in the Bahamas, where I have been for the last several days for a work conference. Unfortunately it is raining and the beaches and pools are abandoned, but there is good high-speed interest for catching up with work and email.

Yesterday I joined a trio of colleagues at the resort’s water park. One slide rose approximately five stories, embedded in the face of a building in the shape of a Mayan temple providing a commanding view of the waters around Paradise Island. The dull rush of waves was punctuated by the occasional scream from the ride itself, chillingly titled: “The Leap of Faith.”

A high wall at the top of the pyramid prevented a direct view of the slide itself, and one sat at the entrance to the tubular slide, with water flowing from one’s back. The tube extended a few feet, so again one could not see what lay in front or below the slider, save for the metallic tube of the slide. The slider would assume “the position,” crossing their arms and legs, laying down, and letting the water push them over the brink.

With my heart picking up its pace, I could not help but think of the obvious metaphor for life itself. From the dramatic to the utterly mundane act of getting out of bed each morning, we are never certain what lies ahead, and nearly every act takes some minor leap of faith. In the case of the slide, I felt my feet hit open air, then a sudden flash of light, acceleration, noise and water inundated my senses before I was thrust into a pool to decelerate and gather my bearings. Like life, I the experience involved an element of fear and the unknown, but was vastly more enjoyable than sitting on the sidelines watching others take a leap of faith of their own.

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