CHRISTMAS EVE Counting Our Island Blessings

The sun is out, tourists again are roaming Phuket's highways, byways, beaches and sidewalks. Who would have thought in the dark days of May that the magic ball would have again gone skyward.
The island's surging population of foreigners who live, work, retire or just spend extended periods of time here continues to multiply.
Yes there continues to be the gripes aired on regular basis on increases in the cost of living, crime, the great tuk tuk debate, over building, long waits at the airport and every manner or sort of mayhem, mischief and marginal behavior
And yes most people stay on as others continue to arrive. It's Christmas Eve and a lull in the drone of work allows me to sit back and look at what Phuket does right.
Perhaps more so then ever this year has seen a landslide of foreign residents giving back to the island they inhabit – with more charity events then I could begin to recall, new organizations and aid given in monetary and volunteer ways.
Phuket is a little big place but it's also unique in the way it's produced quality mechanisms for residents and visitors to put something back into a place they call home or home away from home.
I can't help but feel proud of the growing number of expats getting involved and trying to make the island a better place. Even in the worst of times the genorosity of the human spirit never fails to amaze me.
For those of us living here we have a blessed life and taking time to return those blessings make absolute sense.
Merry Christmas Phuket – I would not live anywhere else.