I ended up going to Hawaii with my family for a couple of weeks and we visited Honolulu, Big Island and Kauai. We stayed in nice hotels and resorts. Funny when you have what you wanted at one point and all of a sudden, it doesn’t feel like anything. I would rather be digging my toes in the mud. My favorite part of Oahu was going to the farmers market and buying lilikoi and rambutan. I noticed I didn’t find much motivation to go shopping like I used to. I feel motivated to move towards minimalism and let go of items I don’t have any resonance to.
Something inside of me realized I was leaving the luxurious life behind. Gratitude to my family for all the fun adventures, but I am called to be on the Big I. I find myself looking at the resorts around me and feeling this funny sense of it all being meaningless. I guess it’s one of those things where you want what you don’t have. While at the resort, I fantasized about running into the jungle and digging my toes into the mud, coming out with leaves in my hair, laughing joyously. I know happiness doesn’t come from things in the world, but I have always found my motivation leading me towards simplicity and adventures of a different kind.
Of course, my favorite time was visiting the Big I. I felt Pele’s energy so strongly, feeling so drawn to her. I took them everywhere and I got to see a bunch of new places. Pohoiki was so different after the lava. It was beautiful, of course, but I enjoyed other areas more. We drove down the red road to Uncle’s and enjoyed stops along the way. We watched the ocean waves, I’ve NEVER seen them so big. We all felt the power. Then we walked to the small beach in Kalapana and I thanked my dad for bringing me here. I took them to Pahoa and a drive down Papaya Farms Road, then on the red road down Wawa and Hawaiian beaches. We even met Hope at the Tin Shack! My dad LOVED her. I felt a strong motivation to stay in Puna.
I feel called to live on the Puna side. It felt like home to me the moment I felt the energy of Pele, sweet Mother protecting and guiding me. Fields of lava surrounding me, pathways of sharp red cinder and wispy pine trees flowing in the wind. And on the other side, heaping mango trees providing shade for when I walk barefoot along the Red Road. An ancient forest kissed by large jungle leaves, vines coming down to my shoulders, covered with feisty fire ants. The purifying ocean only a couple of miles away, to visit for when I felt called to wash away my apparent hurts and perceptions of my past. Then, the unforgettable lighthouse a bike ride away for when I wanted to climb and feel the depths of the warm wind whispering to me, You are loved.
