Being Here

Quote of the day: “You might be tempted to avoid the messiness of daily living for the tranquility of stillness and peacefulness. This of course would be an attachment to stillness, and like any strong attachment, it leads to delusion. It arrests development and short-circuits the cultivation of wisdom.” ― Jon Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are

Flower in the Yard of House Where I Stay

Here I am sitting in my little studio room in the Kona Hills. It’s almost sunset and it has been a beautiful day. I went to a park up north and enjoyed a walk to a secluded beach, feeling the breeze in my face, swimming in the sea, and contemplating the beauty all around me. Sitting in the shade and just being was lovely.

When I got back from the beach I sat outside and watched the birds and enjoyed the fresh air. There are cardinals in Hawaii that look very similar to the cardinals back home in Minnesota. That surprised me because Minnesota is the year-round home of many cardinals and I didn’t expect cardinals in this warm climate.

Tomorrow morning I go out on a whale-watching cruise and then I’m heading back to the Hilo side of the island. I’m hoping to see whales and dolphins close-up in the wild. The cruise is captained by whale researcher Captain Dan McSweeney.

These five days in Kona have taught me a lot about “being here” now.

I learned how I react to discomfort by trying to escape instead of relaxing and accepting what is.
I learned to let go of my judgment of my reactive behavior.
I learned to appreciate what is right with where I am right now, rather than staying focused on what’s wrong.
I learned to find beauty even in a place I didn’t particularly like.
I learned how to enjoy being at the beach alone.
I learned to just sit and appreciate being warm with green all around me.

Here is a collection of some photos from the past few days: