Easier in Hawaii

Even while traveling, some days are more fun than others. So much of life seems to be about weathering the troughs and prolonging the mountain tops. In Hawaii, it’s a little bit easier.

Peace on the Far Side

We went to the far side of the island today, where it was remote, and windy, and oddly peaceful. Seeing the “new” land jut out to the meet the sea, the “beginnings” of plants taking root on the cooled lava… it was almost therapeutic to witness in a way. There is still so much we can learn from the Earth. Sure, we can go on our scientific quests and embrace the wealth of knowledge we’ve accumulated to push the boundaries even further, but there’s also something to see right here at home.

One Vast Island

I wonder as I look out to the ocean while on the highway: what was this place like 500 years ago? How different did the lava fields look, and was the aloha that much more prevalent?

I’ve been secluded on the island so far, only exploring a small percent of it. The vastness is apparent on arrival. There’s so much more of the culture, and the landscape, for me to explore.

I just keep coming back to the recognition that it’s one big beautiful amazing world.

Island of Multitudes

Island fever surely, certainly exists here on the Big Island, but it’s entirely a different feeling here compared to the other seven. I have yet to visit the other side, and even here where I am there is vast mountainscape, and lavascape, to the horizon in every landward direction. The vast sea is still omnipresent, but its pull is somewhat diminished compared to the connection to pacha mama. Hawai’i conveys multitudes, no matter the direction.

Lava Afar

On a wistering mountain top this evening, I saw lava with my own eyes for the first time. It was far, far away, but there was still something surreal about the red glow on the mountain. It reinforced the sheer force of the universe, and our planet. There I was, one among a few hundred, witnessing the creation of new earth. How wondrous this planet is that we inhabit, and how we must appreciate it as we move forward.

Ocean Aloha

And we’re back. I swear you can feel it immediately upon disembarking: the moist salty air, and the permeation of aloha. Sitting on a balcony watching the ocean for a few hours, I’m struck by the movement of it. Imagine if the ocean, and the coasts everywhere around the world, were as still as a lake; silent and unmoving. That’s not our planet. Here on Earth, the ocean is alive and ever shifting. It’s mesmerizing and incredibly beautiful, and we are so fortunate to enjoy it.

Adventure Packing

I don’t think it matters how much you’ve traveled, the scramble of packing for it remains mysterious. It can be a weekend trip or a year-long romp around the world: packing is difficult and exciting and stressful. I guess it’s the manifestation of our brain trying to comprehend the adventure that awaits. And no matter the distance traveled or the intent of the journey, it is always an adventure.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

They say it’s the most wonderful time of the year. And yet so many people seem stressed and anxious. It can be so simple and yet so difficult… but I’ve found a rhythm lately in just letting go. On the grand scale of the universe and all of time and space, being five minutes late to a gathering with friends doesn’t seem to matter that much. Someone cutting me off isn’t the end of the universe. We have so much to be happy for, so much to live for. And just to live is incredible in itself. While the spark exists here in this corner of the galaxy, let’s rejoice and enjoy.

Running Encounter

Earlier this week when I was running around my neighborhood, a man in a van turned into a driveway right in front of me, forcing me to stop. I waited to verify he knew I was there. He didn’t. When he started the reverse of his three point turn, he noticed me and immediately stopped and apologized through the glass. I waved that it was fine and ran around the front of the car, continuing on my journey. Later, as I was on the homestretch of my run on a different street, the same man was walking back to the van, parked along the sidewalk, clearly returning from a delivery. We recognized each other as he walked around the hood of the car to the driver’s door. Instantly he apologized and gestured with his hands; I had my earphones in and heard mere glimpses of his words as I staggered toward the end of my run. But I saw genuine emotion and communication in his face. As I pulled one of my earphones out to catch his communication, I smiled and gasped, “it’s no big deal, it’s alright, no problem.” I smiled and finished with “have a good day!” It sounds so silly, as so many impromptu interactions with strangers do. Maybe it was runner’s high, but in that moment I felt we shared an honest moment together. He made an honest mistake ten minutes ago that resulted in zero consequences, and by chance we met again shortly after. It was not a big deal. We were both just two people going about our day. And as I staggered toward the finish line of my run, I smiled, because I felt reassured there were good people in the world.

Winter Assumptions

There’s a time each winter when you’re used to the cold, and you start to embrace it. You stare down the dark cold winter not with apprehension or dread, but with possibility. Our lives change in the winter, as with every season. Maybe it is part of our biological interaction with nature to sleep and eat more during this time of year. As I continue to learn more about life on this planet with each passing year, I’ve especially found one thing to be true: don’t assume anything.

Wild Majesty

What a wild amazing world we live in. Upon hearing stories from friends’ online interactions today, that’s what I thought. What else can you say? There are so many people, and living things on this planet, and it’s incredible how we all interface with each other on this planet. Can we pause and appreciate the majesty of it all?

Tribal Betterment

How are you making life better for your tribe? I think that’s the question we can all ask ourselves, because our tribe goes beyond our immediate family. If we focus on the betterment of others’ experience, collectively, we’ll recognize we all want the same things. And perhaps then we connect our tribes in a meaningful, powerful way, that truly enables us to change the world.

Universe Soup

When I think of life as communion with the universe, I am no longer disheartened by negativity in the world. We interact with all other living things on this planet, all the inanimate matter in the universe. We’re part of the soup of particles, and we all mix in with each other and everything. We are the universe. With such a perspective, it becomes easy to want to contribute to its continued evolution in a positive way that makes the universe better. We can change the world.

Today’s Time

Spending time with my three most important people tonight, I had an opportunity to reflect on the situation. The fortune with having a family, of being born during this time period with the curse of excessive leisure time… all of it.

Anyone alive today has been given an incredible gift: we enjoy the least tumultuous time, both naturally and socially, ever known in our species’ existence. Can we acknowledge that together? Can we accept that as our baseline, and then exchange ideas to work towards something even greater?   

Kids Lens

I reminisce about my childhood memories, enjoying movies with my grandparents and being so excited to go play and wondering how I would survive without something for three hours.

It’s amazing how much our perspective shifts into adulthood, how much we develop and grow. I don’t yearn to return to childhood, but I hope beyond measure I can retain its memory, the feeling of freedom and visceral joy.

We can satisfy such sentiments if we see this long picture of our lives, and our place on this planet.

A New Group

There are babies and children everywhere! At least in my friend group. That was supposed to imitate a Star Wars intro.

But it’s another layer of crazy reality for me; we enjoy the same conversations, they’re just punctuated by screaming and loud noises.

I welcome the chaos. How many humans have experienced the same as me, over the centuries, over the millennia? And that is a universal experience, that makes one think even more..

Travelin’ America

The United States is a vast, diverse country. I’ve been to more parts of the world than I have states, and it’s something I’d like to remedy. Because I think the best thing we can do as Americans is visit other parts of the country. Traveling to states completely different than our own will sow understanding. We are one people, but we are manifold in our backgrounds and way of life. Travel can bridge the gaps, and when we see that although we may live differently, we want the same things, we will insist on uniting together to form a more prosperous union.

Impact Together

There’s a lot of fear and fatalism present when people discuss the world’s outlook. It’s as if our society has resigned itself to what it deems the inevitable: decline, destruction, and ultimately demise.

I reject such notions of doom. We can change the world collectively through common action. We can reverse any wrong course we’ve started down. And we can impact the future through a belief that we are more similar than different; that together, whilst pursuing love and prosperity, we can contribute to the universe.

Using Time

None of us know how much time we have left, which is why our decisions regarding time are so indicative of our connection to the universe. We can choose our time working or relaxing, spending it with members of our tribe or in solitude. Our time, in many ways, is our last freedom, our most personal manifestation of the universe. How will we each use it?

Coalition

I believe we can build a coalition of people that believe in the goodness in the world. We can rally around common values like humanism, equity, and sustainability. There are more of us than not. We can unite and spread positivity. We can change the world.