My Hawaiian Adventure

My Hawaiian Adventure, or "I Love My New Home!"

I can't believe it's been 8 months since I last posted. My only excuse is that for 3 of those months I was prepping to move to the most remote land mass on the face of the planet, and the other 5 have been spent settling into my new home. Yes, I've been living in Hawaii for 5 months now, and I can't believe how much I LOVE it! I knew that I would, (duh!) but it has exceeded even my expectations, and I am SO incredibly happy with my decision to move. (I guess it's time to change the name of my blog too, uh-oh.)

I've been visiting the Aloha state since I was nine years old, including coming here on business several times a year in the mid-nineties. Like so many people, I've always loved it, but it's only been in the past four years that I began to give serious thought to living here. I began to feel like Hawaii was calling me, to the point that when my flights would take off to return to Los Angeles, tears would begin to flow as I saw the islands receding in the distance. I felt as though I was leaving behind a part of my heart. My soul was clearly trying to tell me "this is your home!", and that's when I intuitively knew that one day I would make the permanent move.

It was a BIG leap of faith. I had a good, stable, secure job in LA, a comfortable life, lots of good friendships built over 7 years there. But I've never been one to settle for just "comfortable". I'm a wanderer, and a seeker. (I blame my two gypsy grandmothers, but that's another post for another time.) I love moving to new places, especially places like Santa Fe and Hawaii, where the local culture is so different from my childhood home of suburban Texas. I love experiencing those new cultures, learning my way around new towns, meeting new people, discovering, exploring, having adventures (and misadventures!). However, there is always a challenging transition period involved in the process where you feel like a fish-out-of-water, and I have definitely been experiencing that. I am out of my comfort zone, most assuredly, but that's where the learning and growing occurs, and that's exactly what I was hoping for! Whenever things have gotten uncomfortable or scary, I've just reminded myself "It's just growing pains, and that's exactly what you asked for, GROWTH!"

Besides the physical beauty of this place, the lush green mountains, the turquoise water of the warm ocean, the soft white sand, the profusion of fragrant flowers, there is the beauty and spirit of the people here that is so incredible. I have been welcomed "home" with open arms into a warm, wonderful group of light-filled people, as if I am long lost family. There is such love and joy here. A relaxed attitude that everything is good, everything is easy, and if it's not, let it go, for in the end it won't matter anyway.  The Hawaiian culture focuses on what is truly important, what is real. Caring for the land-our mother, our home, taking only what is needed, and treating it with respect. Caring for each other, honoring our differences, but choosing to emphasize our commonalities, joy, laughter, music, family, food, being happy, playing in the ocean, valuing the wisdom of our ancestors and elders, and being fully present in the world of Spirit, or Ke Akua. I know this is what my heart was seeking when I felt drawn to be here, that it is truly my spiritual home.

When I decided to make my leap of faith and move to Hawaii in January, the main factor was my love for this gorgeous place, but I also felt intuitively, that this move would be mainly about my spiritual and emotional growth. I felt I had reached a place of stagnation in Los Angeles, and that Hawaii, with it’s beautiful culture, so deeply rooted in ancient spirituality would be exactly what I needed. Wow, was I right about that!! I’ve been here only a few months, but I feel that I have already learned and grown an incredible amount. I've encountered obstacles that have challenged me to keep the faith that I had been led here, and that all would be alright in the end, despite any temporary "evidence" to the contrary. My belief that everything is unfolding exactly as it should, for my greatest good, is stronger than ever before. The Universe has presented me with incredible opportunities and divine synchronicities, including even a lot of unexpected financial support. I've been led to a beautiful spiritual center that emphasizes our own divinity, and has LOVE as it's main principle. A series of heaven-directed "coincidences" brought me to my Hawaiian spirituality "Kumu", or teacher. Through her love and extraordinary talent, she has helped me to open my own "channel" to the world of Spirit in new and amazing ways, and helped me to understand my higher purpose in this life. So many gifts, so much learning and growing in such a short time, so many blessings!

Making this move across 3,000 miles of ocean has certainly been one of the scariest, most emotionally-challenging adventures of this lifetime so far, but the leap has already been rewarded, ten-fold. Without a doubt it was the right decision for me, and while I may be temporarily "financially challenged", I am blissfully happy and fulfilled, and I know that I am truly "home".  This experience has reinforced my belief that when you listen to your soul, and you follow your heart, your bliss, the Universe will rise up to meet you and support your every step in that direction. The first 5 months have been so amazing, I can't wait to see what the upcoming years hold in store!

Thank you to all who have welcomed me into their beautiful "rainbow ohana", I am so grateful for you all.

Sending much love, light and aloha!