Gratitude - series

Diana Trout points out here that we all forget, at times, to be grateful for what we have, and we could all improve the world just by remembering to be grateful.

Winter waves braved by the intrepid

I'm on vacation on the Island of Hawaii, and I feel so blessed to be in a place that is so incredibly beautiful. I feel especially lucky in February when it is dark, pouring down rain and cold in Portland.

High tide - the waves tickling our toes

My friend, Diana Byrnes, find her here, reminds us that the light begins to return in February in our part of the world. If we've made it this far, we're soon to be rewarded with Spring and new growth, new life.

Haupia (coconut pudding) pancakes at Hawaiian Style Café in Waimea

So, even though I am in one of the most gorgeous places in the world, away from ordinary life, without a care, I am struggling with feeling anxious, worried.  I am reminded that I am not my thoughts.  The thoughts and worries may come and go, but they are not who I am.

View from Sam Choy's in Keauhou area above Kona

I think being in someplace beautiful, on a break, can really highlight that awareness. When stuck in the middle of the workaday world with deadlines and projects, it's harder to see the difference. I wish everyone who is struggling could be "rich" for a little while and understand that one can be in fine surroundings but still unhappy because they are wrapped up in the voices in their head.  It's taken me a long time to realize that. We create our own prisons and our own heavens.

Lava Flow

Here's a sketch I wish were better at conveying what I saw. I need to accept that it is what I was able to do at that moment and appreciate it.

I'm hoping to carry home this feeling of awareness home with me.  I am not my thoughts, I am not my job, I am not the troubles of the world.

Sweet Aloha Dreams