Call me crazy, but I think Jack Torrance was misunderstood. I just finished another viewing of The Shining, and I mean, is it really a stretch that someone would go crazy, snowed-in for months on end with their family and no alcohol? All of the haunted house crap was really just gravy on the mashed potatoes that was winter-induced psychosis.

But perhaps my own issues with winter; the constant threat of snowstorms, freezing temperatures, and having to wear multiple layers of fleece and down to go outside to my car every morning– are affecting me more than I thought. All of my happy thoughts now revolve around warm temperatures, tropical destinations, and the idea of just wearing one layer of clothing to go outside.

So for the sake of mental health, let’s do a 180 from Jack Nicholson and the snowy hell of the Overlook Hotel to my own family trip to Sanibel Island in Florida last fall. Land of tropical wine, torrential afternoon rain showers, frothy over-priced drinks, blood-thirsty sand fleas, absentee alligators, and stifling, mind-stunning heat. In short, Heaven.