Abundance

There’s a school of thought—a meditation, if you will—that suggests abundance for all. It invites us to dismiss fear around scarcity: that there aren’t enough resources, enough opportunities, enough success to go around.

The idea is that the universe expands to meet our needs—and that each of us has access to abundance, not just through wishful thinking, but through our own creativity.

But creativity alone isn’t enough. Action is necessary.
And after we act—after we create—we must be willing to share.

Still, there’s one more essential cog in the wheel of abundance:
Reciprocity—the give and the take.

In Nassau, Bahamas, on Paradise Island, there stands a Cloister exhibit with origins dating back to a 14th-century French monastery. It’s a breathtaking sight—carved columns, arched walkways, marble statues—now situated against a backdrop of turquoise water and breezy palms. Walking through it barefoot, with salt and sand stuck to my heels, I felt like a princess in an open-air castle.

I had the great fortune of exploring that space every Friday for nearly 36 weeks while performing aboard The Norwegian Getaway. For a while, the garden was completely open—no fences, no gates, no tickets. Just beauty, freely offered.

Then one day, signs were posted:
“Private Property.”
“Purchase Tickets Next Door.”

Some of my castmates groaned.
"Why do they want to keep the beauty from us? It’s already there. Why not let people enjoy it?”

I was disappointed too. But I understood.
Reciprocity is required for abundance to occur.

Ideas, spaces, and creations—whether physical, intellectual, or spiritual—often deserve some form of exchange. When we receive, we give. The payment might be monetary. Or it might be gratitude, acknowledgment, or respect.

So to that end, my thanks go to those who made this space possible:
To the current curators.
To Huntington Hartford, who brought it to the Bahamas.
To William Randolph Hearst, who brought it to the U.S.
To the 14th-century masons, sculptors, and craftsmen.

Thank you for The Cloisters. For the beauty. For the reminder that abundance is not just about receiving—it’s about giving back.