Just Flow

When moving at 1,000mph I have to remind myself to slow down and

"Be the rock"

Strumming Light Rays

Up the coast! Na Pali,Hamakua,Leeward, Windward,Wayward, all over the beautiful place is where I have been the past few weeks. Living at the root of it all.



This past Saturday I ran a half marathon in Volcano and had a blast! The morning of the run I was wide awake and feeling manic at 430am in my tent in the middle of a eucalyptus grove. I was pumped to be back in Volcano and breathing in the cool rejuvenating air. I jumped out of my tent, it was still dark enough for some moonlight dancing with the tree limb shadows that were swaying in the wind. I had just got back from Kauai where I was camping, hiking, and running with some good friends. The trip is still fresh on my mind and I have been floating on air, smiling at everything I see.



Kalalau is a majestic place! I was so wrapped up in the splendor of it all I forgot to eat or drink for almost an entire day, drunk on love and too excited to sleep. I have streaming thoughts of the misty peaks, secluded beaches, meteor showers, double rainbows, emerald eyes and angelic waterfalls.



Back in the valley were pools of cool water surrounded by blossoming white ginger. One of my favorite scents, soaking in the pools was transcending.






Back to the race, I wasn’t entirely looking forward to running on roads. I entertained thoughts of skipping out on the race and heading over to my favorite trails. The race ended up being a great time!! I felt good and enjoyed myself from start to finish. Running down the quiet streets amongst the ferns and blossoming yellow ginger that gave off scents of inspiration. I was surprised at how quick it went by and how good I felt. For me Volcano in such an inspiring place, I feel it flowing through my veins.



This painting was my prize for winning, it had a price tag on it for $1,200!




For now it's time to slow down a bit, work in the garden and spend time under the stars. Falling asleep and joining them shining up in the sky. I guess the sky is illuminated by the dreams of dreamers dreaming, so back down the path I go!

Livin' Simple

I made the move to the sunny side of the island! It's quite a contrast from cool, misty Volcano but it is nice being super close to one of the best swimming/snorkeling spots in the state. I moved into a funky old coffee shack on 6 acres overlooking Kealakekua bay.



There has been lots of sunrise long runs and sunset paddles. I don't even have to start my car to get down to the bay, I just put it in neutral and coast the two miles down, haha!! My favorite part about living here is the huge garden, I have been working a lot on the land, weeding and planting. It is so nice to pick a huge salad after a long run!


Fresh Eggs!




The bay at sunset is a pretty magical place.




It is so nice to finally be back on a normal schedule after two years of working week on/week off, I am getting back into the groove!

Pure Joy

The simple bliss of running, surfing, and life is captured in these shots of Eric and Drew. Different mediums, same feelings...










The Happy Virus


I caught the happy virus last night

When I was out singing beneath the stars.

It is remarkably contagious -

So kiss me.

-Hafiz

Oowahoo!

It's so great to get on a plane and go somewhere, even if it is only a short hop over to another island! I had to go over there for a weekend course at UH, however I managed to fit in lots of exploring the highlands and lowlands on that overpopulated island. The North Shore is a real gem, and my favorite part of the island. I spent some time milling around in Haleiwa and running down the bike path, ending at Waimea Bay. I spent most of the day and into the twilight swimming, bouldering, and enjoying the feel of the bay.



I thought of the time two years ago when I was living on Oahu and completely broke. I biked around the island with my friend Mike, we were rolling disasters. Scavenging fruit from trees in yards and sleeping under the stars, Waimea was one of the places we camped. Now I reluctantly stayed in a hostel and I actually had a rental car. Luxury accommodations compared to the usual but UH gave me a stipend so I figured why not spoil myself. It was amazing to see the sunset, a rainbow, the moon, and feel misty rain all at the same time.



I was up early before class and ran the Maunawili trail, starting at the Pali lookout. I was greeted by the mystical landscape and sweeping views.

(Morning spirits stir in Nuuanu Valley)


I lost myself running down the trail, imagining myself as a leaf gently floating down from a branch high up.



(Refreshing detour to the falls)


I forgot what it was like to sit through a whole day of class. When i got out in the evening I was overly excited/borderline manic. I went for a run up Koko Head trail, which is insanely steep. I underestimated it, running up the old rail tracks super hard due to my manic state. Half way up the second pitch a wave of dizziness swept over me and I puked.... I was too stoked for my own good. I stopped for a few minutes and then started laughing at myself before continuing up. At the top was an amazing view looking across the island. There was a narrow ridge trail that went a ways and I started running it. This was probably the only place on the whole island where there was no other people. I enjoyed the solitude as I watched the busy lights of Honolulu come on, happy I had no place to be and was wondering around on a crater ledge.

There was more fun to be had:

(Hanauma bay)



There is no doubt Oahu is a special and beautiful place. I can't help but feel sad, the beauty is overshadowed by all the development and massive amounts of people on the island. Something is just not right about it. It's like a Towns Van Zandt song, beautiful but feelings of melancholy linger after. I was happy to be leaving and go back to open pastures and empty streets.

(Makapuu)

Into the Unknown....

The madness has begun. Online courses have already started for the UH Special Education program I was recently accepted into. Writing papers, studying for the Praxis = Things I have not thought about in years, simple math is not seeming so simple. Figuring out how to juggle taking an online course while working a job where I am off the grid for a week at a time has left my head spinning. I have been managing all of that with long runs, paddles, and intermittent dance sessions!

With dangling fragments and comma splices dripping from my mind I started out running up into the mist. I just went where my feet took me. Before I knew it I had no idea nor did I care where I was. Through the Eucalyptus vortex.... Took a detour off the road, rock hopping up a gulch jumping higher into the misty fog.. into the unknown, immersed in the moment and nothing else.




Eucalyptus trees overseeing this land of forgotten times



The mist turned into a heavy cloudburst, something about it was overly refreshing and I started feeling wild. Wide eyed running like a maniac, the rain felt like instant rejuvenation sprinkled down from the gods. I kept running farther into the moment with joyous fury. A scent bouquet of damp earth, plumeria and decomposing guava waifed through the air, a manic moment!

Running back through the leaves on the ground had me feeling nostalgic for the Blue Ridge trails in the Virginia mountains, I miss running back there.

Time seemed to be standing still. I was zoning out, feeling loopy near the end of the 30+ mile trek; staring at a flower when time restarted with a burst. It was as if I saw it twice in the same moment, once in slow motion and once sped up, a flower unfolded from partial to full openness! Different stages of unfolding, I wondered what stage I was in? I just started laughing and continued on. Getting hung up on smiles and falling leaves, how good it felt to be running/exploring somewhere on the island I have yet to experience.







Long runs and paddles have kept me sane this week. Up the coast! Out of the protective breakwater of Hilo bay and into open ocean, muuush!! muush!!





Despite all of the school work I have only had one moment of insanity. Late at night, I somehow convinced myself I was going blind and had a mini freak out. Stress has been a foreign concept so I will blame it on that? I knew then it was time to get some sleep and yes when I woke up in the morning my vision remained intact!

Inspiring Feelings...Linger On

It's so easy to become comfortable and complacent. I sometimes feel like Coleridge's Ancient Mariner, surrounded by water yet dying of thirst. In times like these I just try to keep my eyes open, for beauty and inspiration are around every corner.



I try to capture the essence
Of nights
When I can't sleep because my heart quakes my body
As I already feel tomorrows Sun rising within
But have to wait in the still darkness
Hearing the echoes of the conch shell whispers



Working wilderness therapy, being immersed in an emotionally turbulent environment non stop for a week at a time can take its toll. Some weeks I leave feeling fresh and inspired and others I leave feeling exhausted, frazzled and wrecked. Being involved with others personal growth and development definitely makes me turn the magnifying glass on myself, sometimes bring on traces of self doubt. Usually good things happen when you go on expansive excursions within yourself, I think Self Awareness=Awakening.



Being a part of others self awakening has no doubt helped my own self evolution. It's amazing how the small simple steps of practicing mindfulness towards others, self reflection, and working on the land growing vegetables can bring about a clear mind. Doing something for the mind, body, and emotion each day is something simple that is practiced and for me is a key component in overall health. A few weeks ago I picked up a hitchhiker, I had seen him before playing the harp in front of the market in Hilo. He was probably the most stoked person I have ever talked to. He was on his way to swim, "Mind, body, emotion. I've been reading all day, slept under a macadamia nut tree last night and now I need to swim." That outlook sure was working for him because he was pumped on life.



I often get asked how I find happiness, "You seem like a happy person"
Sometimes it seems so simple. I try to live my passions, do what I love,and give back to others while expecting nothing in return. Sometimes that question can seem so complex and the answer is who knows? Reminds me of something my friend Eric said the other day: "Sometimes you have to drive across the whole country just to come up with ONE idea" Words of wisdom, haha.





As for now, I am off to the place where the kind of sort of's and the maybe so's disappear into the certainty of glowing optimism.