What Traveling To Hawaii Taught Me About Home
I have so many photos from our time in Paia, Hawaii. I think that this post will be more of a visual depiction of the depth that I felt while I was there in lei of my words. But to set up this post, I have to write a little bit about my experience, because lets be real...I ALWAYS have something to say.
We had the honor of meeting, Tehani from Water Gypsies Photography. One overcast morning, she took us to a place called Fairy Land. We hiked almost 25 minutes through the jungle. The leaves were some of the biggest I had ever seen, and the vines appeared to go on for days, winding and wrapping themselves around the tree branches and roots. Every corner we turned, Tehani would get the biggest smile and say something like, "Wait until we get around this bend, you are going to die!". She was born and raised on Maui, and while she gets to see this type of view every single day, the magic of it all has never dissipated for her.
For a moment, I paused to watch as her eyes lit up with delight and wonder, as she gazed forward into a never ending path of greenery. Right then, it hit me. Traveling shouldn't just be about the amazement of what's in front of you. Of course you should take in the sights, the smells, the architecture and foliage around you, but what I seemed to really gather from this experience, is that traveling somewhere else should rejuvenate your love for your own home. It should remind you to love where you landed, and to be grateful for the place where you call home. Tehani taught me something so valuable.
“Home sweet home. This is the place to find happiness. If one doesn’t find it here, one doesn’t find it anywhere.”
There have been too many times when I haven't ventured to the mountains, or walked my favorite path, because it all seemed like too much effort. Hiking to the falls in Paia was not an easy feat, especially with a 20-month-old in our arms, but every tree that we saw instilled a sense of clarity, and when we reached the falls, it was like a huge symbolism for what I should have known all along. It acted like a beacon which was there to hold all of my self-doubt on whether my family is living in the right place for us. That waterfall seemed to be calling out my name, saying to me, "Be here now, and then go home, and be just as in awe there too". I know this post may sound spiritual, and a wee bit cooky, but that's what happened to me. That's what I felt. And I am so thankful for Tehani for entering my life, so I could be reminded of this important lesson.
