I get a nice stretch of time at home during the holidays, which, though festive and marked with indulgences (like a robust Christmas pudding, mince pies, brandy butter, bacon for breakfast every morning and many a happy hour in the evening) bring me back to one of the reasons I fell in love with Bahamian life all those years ago.

Beauty is everywhere. Yes, in the sun and the sea and the sand, but also in the people.

Moving away from a more conventional world opened my eyes to a new approach to beauty. I became inspired by a nation of people at ease with themselves. Beauty in the Bahamas cannot be defined or stereotyped. It is not seen as blessing bestowed upon a few but within us all.

Every skin colour, every ethnicity, every body type and every age are accepted. Beauty is as diverse and as individual as the fish in the ocean. As long as you’re taking care of yourself, it’s really fine to be any shape.

But the key of course is to actually take care of yourself.

For me, this means finding an hour to exercise, in whatever form that takes. It keeps me sane and healthy. Well, sort of sane.

Leave the grandiose resolutions behind and instead enter the New Year committed to finding your own version of balance and embracing your own beauty.