New Year's Resolution - San Juan Island Style

Updated May 2017

We have all done it, set ambitious goals for the coming year, barely remembered by the time the rains stop, leaving you feeling frustrated and unaccomplished. Let’s try something new this year.  In 2016 visit San Juan Island and be…

Be kind

It won’t be difficult to be kind on San Juan Island. As soon as you step off the ferry you feel that you are on island time.  Slow down, strike up a conversation with a stranger, smile at a child, look your waitress in the eyes and enjoy being amongst your fellow humans in paradise.

Be brave

Are you scared to go kayaking in the ocean? Do you get butterflies in your belly when you think about zip lining? Challenge yourself to a new outdoor adventure and feel exhilarated afterwards.

Be selfless

Nothing feels better than helping others. Donate to the Friday Harbor Whale Museum and support Orca education and research. Visit in April and help with the annual Earth Day Beach Clean up. Get involved with the San Juan Preservation Trust to protect natural spaces and wildlife habitat throughout the islands.

Be selfish

Replenish your energy and indulge your senses. Treat yourself to a spa day at the Spa at Earthbox. Soak in the hot tub, take a cleansing sauna, get a Tree of Life Facial and an Open Sky Signature Massage before walking to a romantic dinner a few blocks from your hotel, enjoying the town atwinkle with Christmas lights.

Learn something new

Do you know that eelgrass tastes like coconut? Or why tanners didn’t get the plaque? Or how Deadman Bay got its name? Go on a guided kayak tour. Visit the Pelindaba Lavender Farm and the San Juan Historical Museum and learn a thing you didn’t know the day before.

Let go

Are you still chewing on that fallout you had with your friend? Missing a loved one so much it hurts? Write a letter, go to the Westcott Bay Sculpture Park and place it in one of the authentic Tibetan wishing urns and walk away.

Let it out

Go to South Beach and let the wind blow in your hair. Walk along the shore under the watchful eyes of a bald eagle. When there is not a soul in sight, let it out. Yell as loud as you can and then do it again and one more time for good measure.

Pay it forward

Commit a random act of kindness. Pay for a cup of coffee for the person behind you in line, buy a couple of extra groceries and donate them to the food bank, pick up trash on the street, not because you have to, but because you want to and you can.

Listen

Visit a theater play, concert or lecture at the San Juan Community Theatre where talented islanders and national and international stars alike come to gather, perform and make art.

Be present

The San Juan Islands are a community of bedrock islands in the rain shadow of the Olympic Peninsula and Vancouver Island. It’s the smallest county in Washington State and home to the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales. Don’t just look, see, don’t just hear, listen, don’t just sense, feel. While you are here, be here, be present!

Happy New Year to all of you! We can’t wait for your visit.