Embracing Aloha
Two weeks ago, my husband Jason & I signed off from our respective jobs & took off for nine beautiful days of honeymooning on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was a magical trip, with just the right mix of adventure & relaxation with my favorite guy.
If you’ve ever had the chance to spend time in Hawaii, you’ll know the word aloha. It’s omnipresent and holds multiple meanings. Aloha is a greeting and a farewell. It means love, affection, peace, compassion, and mercy. It also means being fully present in the moment.
Hawaiians speak of aloha 'aina, love of the land, and when you're there, it is easy to understand why. Surrounded by five mountains (two of which are still active volcanoes), crystal blue waters, lush greenery & dramatic lava fields, it is easy to feel connected with the natural world. I learned a lot about that connection on one particularly perfect day on the island.
Last Thursday morning, we started the day in a double-hulled canoe, paddling out to watch the sunrise over Mauna Kea. We were paddling with two guides, Ben & Bullet, and eight strangers, but we quickly fell into a rhythm, paddling as one boat, gliding across perfect blue water to an anchor point. Once we arrived, with the sun still not yet visible over the peak of Mauna Kea, we were invited to swim. We had seen signs of humpback whales in the distance - spouts & tails - and the little girl inside me, who dreamed of being a marine biologist, barely let the guides get the anchors in the water before I dove over the side. Floating on my back, I could hear the whales singing under the water, beautiful choruses of chirps & whistles. When we re-boarded the canoe, Bullet asked us to watch the mountain as the sunrise broke over the top, and he chanted E ala e, a traditional Hawaiian protocol to welcome the sun, bringing us the life of a new day.
Later that night, we stood atop Mauna Kea, more than 13,000 feet above the sea where our day started. We bid the sun farewell from above the clouds and saw more stars than I knew were possible to view with the naked eye.
Being so removed from “normal” life routines and so physically immersed in the awesome natural world for a full day - sunrise to sunset - was incredibly special. And it was wonderful to be truly present for it. My laptop was in DC. My clients knew I was truly, deeply OOO. I took my work email off my phone. My focus was on being where I was, with my partner, in each moment of the day.
I’m back in DC now, back to the more ordinary rhythm of work and life at home. But I’m working hard to hold on to the spirit of aloha. To starting my mornings in quiet gratitude, with reverence for what has been and what will be in the day ahead. And to working on being fully present for even the ordinary moments of each day.
Mahalo, Hawaii, for the gift of presence.
Our double-hulled canoe after our sunrise paddle
My husband, Jason, capturing sunset on Mauna Kea
