Our new life – how 120 days have changed us
A peaceful (but windy as always) night in Paia / Maui with bright stars in the sky provides a great setting for reflecting on how the past four months have affected our lives.
Fresh elements:
random acts of kindness, living slow, being connected with earth, eating nothing but the best tasting healthy foods (ideally organic), kitesurfing, surfing mellow and not so mellow waves, compassion, the Aloha spirit, yoga, a very deep connection with the ocean, thankfulness for each and every beautiful moment on this planet, meeting charismatic people from around the globe with a positive spirit, playing and laughing with the kids, being true to yourself, living the life you want to live, irrelevance of material goods, the power of healing, speaking the truth to others, blonde curls (believe it or not), ohana spirit (love in the family), physical strength and health, smiles and laughs, inner balance, inspiration from all sorts of sources (nature, reading, art, music, conversations), simplicity, unconventionality,..
Elements removed from our life:
stress, speed (unless propelled by natural forces on the water), negative news of the world, shopping, television, time, mobile phone (down to one local Nehmen Sie bitte auch zur Kenntnis, dass Spieler 21 Jahre oder alter sein mussen um im Casino spielen zu durfen. call per day), email (reduced from 100 / day to 1 / day), television, grumpy people with negative energy, 5kg weight, days without significance, exhaustion, worry / fear / doubt, to do lists, hair dresser appointments,…
Elements we miss:
our families, our friends back home, a place to call home without the need to pack bags all the time, time-out from the kids, good bread, seasons, snow,
Kama “Aina:
One phenomenon has intrigued me: in the past month we have been asked if we are kama “aina (which means Hawaiian local or resident) by the majority of businesses we have interacted with (e.g., cafes, museums, …), since you typically get a cheaper rate. This means that we give the impression – by the way we look and act – to many people that we live here, which is a clear indication that we have changed our looks and spirit: if you look at that picture of us sitting on our bags 120 ago at the Munich airport, not a single person would have asked us if we are kama “aina back then.
I think it is fair to say that the first 120 days of our trip have fundamentally changed all four of us. I feel really alive, every moment…
120 days
Categories: Hawaii - Maui