The morning sun fell gently on my upturned face. I felt the fleeting caress of the wind off the sea, and tasted mild salt on my lips. My eyes were closed, the smell of the strong black coffee from the cup on my windowsill beckoned, and I could not resist.

I surfaced reluctantly from my morning meditation, perched on a chair and facing the endless curve of the South Shore’s turquoise arc. I took a deep sip and looked out at the surging sea as it foamed over the living reefs below our home.

Breaking the smooth line of the far horizon was a cruise ship on its steady journey.

Eleven years ago, I made that same journey. I came ashore in Bermuda for an afternoon walk to the beach, and I am still here.

I thought of all the remarkable changes that lie between that fragile decision and the woman I am today.

How could I have known that my life and my very self would become so different?

Back then, I didn’t believe in love, yet I wanted to fall in love. I was serious, and I dressed mostly in black.

I denied love’s possibility, yet I wanted love more than anything else.

I had given up hope, but inside me, in a far away corner, a young girl’s dream burnt like a dying ember.

After five months at sea, and many ports of call, I had met thousands of people but not one had kindled that ember into the flame I so desired.

When I randomly asked Bill and his young daughter for directions that day, I stood on the edge of a precipice invisible to me.

I did not know that to step away from him was to fall alone through space for a lifetime; and to step closer to him was to embark on a wondrous journey, filled with passion and adventure and challenges I would meet with a strength I never knew I had.

When little seven-year-old Ava took my hand that morning, she was not just leading me to their favourite beach, she was saving me from that terrible fall into a life of loneliness.

Ava will graduate from high school in ten days – beautiful, talented and secure in her father’s love and mine. My husband, Bill, is the man I looked for my entire life and more.

Our fate can hinge on a look, a few words, a step forward. It can be decided in an instant by taking a risk that our heart cries out to us to take.

Will we listen? Will we put our plans aside for a moment and be open to a gift the universe is handing to us? Will we see the mysterious road and follow it with faith in our hearts, never looking back?

This is what life prepares us for: making the right decision. Putting our best foot forward to embark on the wondrous journey when it appears before us.

Happy 11th anniversary, my dearest Bill! I am grateful for the love that has shaped us and excited by the boundless possibilities that await us in chapters yet to be written.

Nina London is the founder of Mermaid Wellness Centre for Women and a certified Chi Gong and Laughter Yoga teacher. Her mission is to support and inspire mature women to make positive changes in their bodies and mind. Contact her at www.mermaidwellness.com and on Instagram: mermaid_wellness