Missing Hawai`i (becoming immune to beauty)
Tammy and I lived in Hawai`i for 3 years, from the end of 2010 through the end of 2013. It's beautiful and we took it for granted. Take a look at this sunrise:
I was walking to the bus stop one morning, looked left, and I had to pull out my phone to snap a shot. How many mornings did I not even look left? It's hard to say.
How many times did I see a rainbow and dismiss it as routine? I saw this one when I was teaching at one of O`ahu's charter schools (It's actually a double rainbow if you look closely):
I may have been the only one that noticed this rainbow. Most of the kids had seen these too many times to count. Will I see another like it?
Teaching at a charter school gave me the ability to explore outside the classroom. We engaged the environment on a regular basis, because learning wasn't a static process -- it was a living process. Here is a shot from a hike we took:
Travelling up any mountain would give me views like this -- green mountains and yellow beaches.
Whether the shores were unpopulated, as above, or completely modernized, the views were outstanding:
This shot came after driving fifteen minutes up 'Round Top Drive.' Several areas along the way offered a bit of parking. Tammy and I got out at all of them, and I captured this from the top one. Amazingly there are people who wake up to this view every morning, because there are homes all along this mountain looking down on that coast.
Along the coasts lie the shores. Like this one, which was a 3 minute walk from our home in 2010 and 2011:
I could hear waves crashing on those rocks every morning - from the moment I woke up til I went to bed at night. Eventually, I wasn't listening to them. What would I give to listen one more time?
Things became so routine for us that we took a drastic step. We implemented mandatory relaxing Fridays at Ko Olina. For those that have never been to Hawai`i, the most wonderful thing about it is that all the beaches are open to the public. Like Ko Olina:
Every Friday evening we drove 10 minutes to Aulani, Disney's resort on the west coast, went to their bar and I ordered a Pina Colada. I took it down to the beach, sat down and watched the sunset.
My very first time traveling on the West Coast, we were apartment shopping, I saw this:
It was pure magic. I knew I would just love it. I was there for over a thousand of these. And as many opportunities to see them. And now I wonder -- how many did I squander?
Please learn from me, and don't squander your opportunities to let beauty fill your heart with joy.
This pictures are really amazing.
Thank you - but for me they are bittersweet. They remind me of all the time I spent doing regular everyday life instead of appreciating what I had.
I feel the same in my situation. I've been living in south FL since 2011, and early on everything was amazing and beautiful and new. Now, 6 years later, you don't notice anything anymore. I'm trying hard to rediscover the place and see it all with fresh eyes, as well as look for new wonders (surely I have not seen it all). It'd be a shame to become numb to it all.
It would be a shame. Let me know if you try anything to jumpstart your appreciation of the beauty -- and let me know if it works.
That's awesome that you were in Hawaii for 3 years. I bet it did all become routine. Just like my life currently. We moved to Panama about 7 months ago. We live at the base of the volcano and views like ones found in my old post here are pretty common. It is important to stop and smell the roses. ;) Thanks for the post.
Indeed it is important. You do have some wonderful views. I hope things don't become too routine for you - or maybe you can spice it up if it does. Just came across an old image today - and it brought back a flood of memories. Thanks for your comment.
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