Respect the Rock
A mere 24 hours after school was officially out for summer, my little crew and I were Hawaii-bound. Having never been before, I had few concrete expectations. Except, of course, for some serious rest + relaxation.
What we left with was sheer awe for the beauty and benevolence of the people, its landscape, and a fabulous surf. In high five fashion, here is list of the most gorgeous moments we experienced:
{1} Every morning, the fragrance of plumeria froliced in the air. Kona coffee percolated throughout the hotel. And the sound of the ocean waking up reminded me we really were in paradise.
{2} Using a fragmented itinerary, we decided to visit the Captain Cook museum. We arrived one bay over from our destination. But before we could turn around, a local named Vaughn offered us the ultimate hook-up. He encouraged us to reduce our carbon footprint by renting his kayaks + gear and row out to the museum instead. He mentioned we might see some dolphins along the way. 20 minutes later, in the middle of a vast ocean, we were surrounded by 40+ spinner dolphins. The lovelies seized the moment and plunged into the icy water. And swam near these beautiful creatures for almost an hour. The dreamy color of the water + dolphins dancing freely in the air + the humbling realization of just how small we were {and are} compared to the epic water encircling us + the joy overflowing from the lovelies as they watched and listened for the dolphins to surface…well, if ever there was a perfect moment, this would be it. {Sadly, the whole experience was not photographed because my camera is not waterproof. Sigh.}
{3} In an effort to find some monk seals, we hiked down to one of their favorite habitats. Which also happened to be a black sandy beach. When we finally reached the beach, there were rocks stacked on top of each other. Everywhere. Sitting quietly as the crashing waves pounded, I realized how meditative the moment had become. And while we didn't see any monk seals, we left our own contribution for others to enjoy.
{4} On our way in from the beach one evening, my lovelies saw a resort instructor husking a coconut. They stopped to watch. Realizing he had an audience, they were invited to learn husking. In sheer excitement, we spent the next 30 minutes watching them work down to the very core of their respective coconuts. And relishing their first sips of coconut water.
{5} On our last day, we took a reminscent walk around the resort, letting the lovelies take their own pictures. We ran into our coconut friend again, and a casual conversation began. We learned he was a Hawaiian chief, and as such, he participates yearly in a traditional ceremony near the volcanoes. In the tribal dress, the chiefs are barefoot and must walk in a steady line. We asked if the rocks hurt his feet, and he said, "You must respect the rock." The words enchanted me. He explained that when paying respect to the ancestors, the job is to honor them. Not to worry about the pain or inconvenience of the rocks. He then said, "In anything we do, we should 'respect the rock.'"And now those three words cross my mind daily. As in, I want to 'respect the rock' wherever I go, whatever I do.
Hawaii, for me, was magical, enchanting, and practically perfect. It really became a day-to-day journey of claiming extraordinary moments in our ordinary lives. And what else could be better on a family vacation than that?
