Land Metaphor

 

I needed some pineapple for my oatmeal this morning. So I walked out the front door and picked this little guy. Not huge but over the past 1.5-2 years he has been using what he has to grow with little to no care or attention. When I think about where I was two years ago, when he started growing, it is hard to believe I was in Pennsylvania packing up my car with all that I owned preparing for a road trip before moving to an island in the middle of the Pacific. The inside of this pineapple, in all of its juicy sweetness, had some bad spots just as my journey has had amazing times and some very hard moments. But I have been learning to be more attentive to my needs to take better care of myself through those times. My hope is that the next metaphorical pineapple I harvest in 2 years will be bigger, healthier, and even sweeter. #day92 #giftfromtheland #landmetaphor #nocaneforthisadventure #bigislandbliss #alohaaina

Botanical Gardens

 

Walking through places like this I somehow instinctively begin to whisper. 

So thankful for 

1. Nature 

2. Color 

3. Warm breezes 

4. Fresh air and 

5. Peaceful moments when all you hear are birds chirping and the rustling of the trees  

#day78 #hawaiianjungle #bigislandbliss #basicallymybackyard #iheartnature

I think I have found my spot.

It makes me wonder what Eden was like?

Hilo Gems

A glimpse of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on a clear day

An early morning oasis from behind bamboo

The smell of plumeria

The sound of water falling on my walk home

The beauty of a trees roots as they do the best they can  in the toughest of soils. 

What beauty would we miss if the ground did not give them trouble?

The gems of Hilo.

Just Keep Creating

As I still unable to go back to work, I have been trying to keep myself busy in other ways. Sitting is still a little tricky as I don't really last very long without my pain levels increasing. So I am pushing my creativity in the normal daily functions of life as well as the ways I am choosing to create. Crochet, I discovered, can be done laying down. And so the palm tree bunting took shape. With watercolor as another option, I keep pushing myself to just keep creating.

Feel the Shake

Woke up this morning at my usual time - just before 7am. Then, as if the earth was my alarm clock, my bed started shaking and things started rattling. The shaking lasted for about 10 seconds.

I have felt a couple of earthquakes in my life. One was actually in North Carolina, believe it or not. However, this was the longest and the most powerful of my experiences to date.

Just a friendly reminder that there can be trouble in paradise.

Big Island Brawl

After living on the Island for over 2 years now, I finally made it to my first Roller Derby! I have had this on my Hawaii Hit List for an age. I am so thankful I am able to move around enough to be out and about a little more. This was quite the introduction into the sport as this brawl was an international competition. Teams from Japan, New Zealand, the mainland and different Hawaiian Islands came to jam. I was so grateful for the run down on the rules of the game in my program. So many moving pieces and whistles. If you wanted to watch a game where there is constant movement,  people slamming into each other, and both teams are earning point simultaneously where you don't have to also keep track of a ball or a puck, then I would highly recommend Roller Derby.