Connecting with Nature on a New Level on Our Trip Around the Big Island
- Nov 11, 2016
- 3 min read
As I sit here to gather my thoughts and write about my experience of being on this program in Hawaii, I can’t seem to find all of the right the words to express what I am going through right now. I’ll begin with saying I’ve experienced tremendous growth, profound realizations, and deep connections in all that we’ve been through in only a months time.
Most recently we went traveling around the Big Island on an eight day camping trip. This was an incredible opportunity for us in developing our own internal group dynamics through meal planning and cooking together, setting up our camp together, and figuring out how to cram two vans with tents, equipment, personal belongings, and at least 10 people almost everyday. I’d say these challenges alone were quite the learning experience as we collectively worked through our ups and downs.
Throughout the trip we visited so many well know locals that have greatly impacted their own communities in various ways such as Coconut Christopher who lives a raw food, vegan lifestyle off his land with his very own 9 year old tropical food forest, Bamboo Bobby (http://livingsoilsorganics.com)who is an expert in bamboo building and composting, Geoff and Lynn with their beautiful off grid property and entrepreneurial spirits, Leimana who is another amazing well known expert in bamboo building, Tom Sharkie http://www.sharkyscoffee.com with his cacao and coffee farm (so much delicious and nutritious chocolate!), Tracie with Non-Violent Communication and permaculture at the beautiful La’akea Intentional Community http://permaculture-hawaii.com/ , and service work with Barbara at her lovely Dragon Fly Ranch http://www.dragonflyranch.com/ . Thriving on passion, they have all dedicated their lives to living more sustainably by loving and caring for themselves, their communities, and for our precious aina. Seeing the work that all of these people do in there own lives is so profound and it has greatly impacted my own. They really showed me how much each of us are capable of if we let ourselves be so.
So how does this all tie into my passions, who I am, and what I feel my purpose is? Well if you know me, you know that my passions lie in health, wellness, personal development, happiness and helping people find these things in their own lives. I battled my own health issues all my life up until about 5 years ago when I began to educate myself on the impact food choices and stress has on our wellbeing. After unexpectedly diving into the sustainable living department at MUM, and especially after being here learning about the Hawaiian Culture and their relationship with the land, my own perception on wellness shifted.
We create our own reality, we vote with each and every dollar we spend, the world is a reflection of who we have become collectively, and vise versa. Our plant, our only home is in trouble. The collective health of human kind is in trouble. Nature speaks to us in so many ways to let us know this, and she fights for her health and wellbeing in so many ways, just as our own bodies do. We have to stop ignoring her cry for help and thinking in short term fulfillment. We need to listen to her and begin to think about how we are impacting our land, our lives, and the future generations. I feel that it may be very difficult for us to find health and happiness within ourselves if the planet which feeds us on every level cannot even find that harmony because of the destruction that we have created. Right now, I couldn’t imagine a better place to be learning about how much I am capable of and how I can impact the health of the planet and the consciousness of the people.
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