A typical day for Susan Littlefield starts just like yours: She wakes up early, checks her Blackberry for messages, and then logs onto the computer to surf the web and read the latest news. But that's where the similarities end, because as you are jumping into your car and turning into Dunkin' Donuts to grab a coffee for your hour commute into Boston, she is jumping off of her 45-foot sailboat and rowing a few yards to shore so that she can start her work--and play--day on the Caribbean island of St. John.

In fact, work and play are one in the same for this Duxbury native who now spends much of her time on 'Shakti', the name of the Norseman 447 sailboat she and Dan, her 'Honey' of four years, call home. Shakti has sailed around the world, but for now it mostly sails the tropical waters, and rests within a cozy bay nestled against the southeast end of this U.S. Virgin Island.

On a hillside, on that same side of the island, sits two cottages that Sue purchased in 2002. The houses-- Horizons Cottage and Captain's Cabin--are rented out to vacationers throughout the winter season, keeping Sue busy managing the bookings and the properties. But that's just part of her day. The other part is spent hiking, swimming, snorkeling, sailing, and just enjoying life in general.

It's a dream come true, Sue admits. But she didn't just happen into this lifestyle. She created it.

"As far as I'm concerned, life is short and you have to enjoy what you're doing and where you're doing it," Sue says. Yet, she admits that packing up and moving from Duxbury to St. John was not a spontaneous decision. "It took me quite awhile to figure out what it was I wanted to do, and how I could make money doing it. It takes some serious soul-searching and a lot of research."

That soul-searching started for Sue in 1998-the worst year of her life. It was the year she found out she had colon cancer, and the year she divorced her husband of over 20 years.

It was the cancer, she says, that opened her eyes. Thankfully, the doctors caught it early. "But before that point I figured I had so much time that I didn't put urgency on anything," she says. "But, you never know what will happen, or when it will."

Soon thereafter, Sue began 'drafting her new profession', she recalls. She first went to the Virgin Islands when she was in college, and, as the consummate "summer girl" who loves the sun, ocean, and outdoors, she thought how nice it would be to live there. But, she also remembers thinking, "I can't".

"It was a self-imposed 'can't'," Sue says. Now, the word 'can't' isn't even in her vocabulary. "With age you realize you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it."

Back to the Islands

She went back to visit the islands in 2001 with some friends, and made her decision at that time to buy some property. A year later, she purchased the two houses that overlook John's Folly Bay, and started renting them out. Sue, however, returned to Duxbury where she had lived for 25 years raising her three children, teaching swim lessons, coaching the girls' high school swim team, as well as boarding horses on her five acre farm.  For five years she managed the cottages from her home on the South Shore. But when her youngest child graduated college, she put the Duxbury house up for sale.  (And, because the realtor told her the indoor pool and five acre non-dividable lot with barn was worth nothing, she put an advertisement in the local paper, the Duxbury Clipper, and sold the house herself within two weeks-for $100,000 more than what the realtor suggested she put it on the market for...Another reason to dismiss the word 'can't').

That's when Sue and Dan (who is a commercial fisherman and savvy transatlantic sailor) bought Shatki. Shakti, by the way, is a Sanskrit word that means "cosmic energy" and implies power, ability, and strength. The previous owner sailed Shakti around the world. Dan and Sue have taken it back and forth between New England and Trinidad--where it stays during the month of September, which is the time each year that the couple returns to New England to visit family and friends.

Many of these same family and friends thought Sue was making a big mistake when she sold everything and sailed to St. John. But Sue is an adventurer and a go-getter, not a risk-taker. She soothed other's fears by ensuring she could live out her dream and still make a living. "Most people need to have some kind of income. I was lucky enough to figure out what I wanted to do, and make money at it," she said.

As for island life: Yes, in some respects its 'back to basics'. The water supplied to the cottages, for example, comes from collected rain water that is fitered for use, and they 'make' drinking water on the boat using a reverse osmosis process. At the same time, the houses have comfortable beds and cable TV. And, there is internet access all of the time in the cottages and on the boat, so everyone remains very connected to the mainland.

Sue calls St. John home, yet considers herself a New Englander at heart. Her son lives in Boston and her two daughters are still on the South Shore, just three of the many reasons she loves to come back each September. And, of course, her family and friends love to visit her when winters get a bit too long and cold around here!

She is one of the few people who followed her dream. "A lot of people talk about doing things. Few actually do it," she notes. For Sue, sailing off into the sunset was not a rejection of her roots, but, rather, a continuation of her life journey.

For more information on Horizons Cottage or Captain's Cabin, go to: www.horizonscottage.com

 Sue and Dan also book Shakti for day cruises through the islands. Contact them for more information at: www.sailshakti.com

Sue Littlefield's Tips for Livin' Your Dream:

 -Ask yourself what is important in life.

 -Figure out what it is you are looking for: Is it climate, lifestyle, something else? And then do your research.

 -Dream responsibly: Be honest with yourself as to whether it's feasible to do what you want to do and still have an income to live on.

 -Be true to yourself. Many people will try to discourage you in an attempt to 'protect' you. But these people are probably comfortable in their own zone. Listen and think it through, but make your own decision about what's right for you.

 -'Can't' is a bad word. Say, "I'll try!"

 - Talking gets you nowhere. Be one of the few who 'do'.

By Stephanie Neil

Stephanie Neil is a journalist. Her business, technology, and human interest stories have appeared in a variety of print and online newspapers and magazines including eWeek, Managing Automation, The Harvard Alumni Bulletin, Huggies Baby Network, South Shore Woman, and The Boston Globe.  She lives on the South Shore with her two kids, two cats, and a dog. Contact info: stephanieneil@comcast.net  or 781-378-1652. Follow her on Twitter @StephanieNeil