Lying in a hammock suspended mid air above a deck overlooking the famous Bonzai Pipeline while the bluebird sky above me peers down with a sun kissed smile. This is a dream right, how could it be real? But yet somehow it is. I sometimes wonder why sad and bad things happen to good people, why do they sometimes get their hearts stomped on or fired from a job? It’s easy to see the bad things that have happened and feel sadness over those losses and changes. OR, we can find the lessons. I’ve always sought out the lessons and in my later 20s I tried to see the lesson in every unpredicted or negative outcome and I tried to find the opportunity in every possible decision.
Whether to say Yes or No. It seems simple enough and yet the fear of the outcome generally causes people to say no. Change and risk are scary, but you never know the possible outcome and in my case, saying yes and being open to risk or change has provided opportunities out of a movie.
I may be hesitant when it comes to saying yes to opportunities with men and perhaps this is why I’ve been single for nearly a year, but I say yes to other things and those things will hopefully lead me to someone I feel comfortable enough with that it wouldn't feel like a risk or a big change.
I’ve been in Hawai‘i for over a week now and it seems like a month. I’ve made dozens of new friends, worked a ton, relaxed, seen incredible new places, eaten amazing foods and spent each day maximizing my time. I think about how many people I encounter who seem like they are just waiting for their life to start. But there is no gun that fires to signal its go time. You’re alive and living it, so why waste it? For the most part I wouldn’t say I’m that selfish, I value my friends and family and love and respect them, I try to help where I am needed, and I am responsible in terms of my work commitments. But there is a small level of selfishness required in order to say Yes. There is that moment where you can think about the risk, the possible money spent, the possible people not included, how else that time could be spent, the guilt of having such an opportunity OR you can say, shit, I do what I can for those I love and this is the opportunity I deserve/have worked for/have waited for. There is no need to feel guilt, instead, feel utter gratitude, each and every day. Don’t take advantage of life’s gifts because she might not give forever.
Here are some more images from Hawai‘i- an opportunity sent from the heavens that I would have been crazy to turn down.