Say Yes

Flashback to the moments I was learning how to say yes to an adventure in the face of uncertainty.  It was just another Hawaiian full moon evening; perfect for a 3 hour hike down a mountainside in the dark? Sure! Four of us set off with some headlamps, hammocks and water. . . Not knowing our final destination.  We just needed to go.  Guided by the light of the moon and the sound of the ocean we made our way towards the water.  The earth below us was unstable and we kept sliding and falling, sliding and falling.  Our downhill path was adorned with spider webs and strange noises coming from deep within the trees.  After walking for more than an hour we stopped to consider turning around. We knew where we had come from; It was safe.  Despite the logic in that thought we kept pursuing the unknown.  Further and further we ventured down the mountain.  Tall trees shot up on all sides of us blocking out the guiding moonlight.  We could see nothing but darkness; but my friend seeing is not the only means to believing.  The roar of the ocean grew louder as if calling us forward.  

Soon the dirt had turned to lava rock and we could see faint moonlight peaking through a clearing.  Our pace hastened as if we were pulled to the oceans magnetic waves.  Upon our arrival we stumbled through a sea of shifting lava rock and coral to the salty warm water.  After much splashing and rejoicing we soon came to rest on the coral shore.  The moon was full and bright, the stars magnificently shining down on our eyes.  It is times like these when one learns to just be.

We set out in search of some place to hang our hammocks.  Five minutes of wandering led us straight to a little grove of the most peculiar ocean side trees. The trees grew up about seven feet and then began a horizontal path creating a dome-like structure.  Being mindful of the kiawe thorns beneath our sandals, we hung our hammocks and drifted off to sleep.  

We awoke the next morning to the music of the ocean. Rays of sun shone through the trees and our hammocks swayed with the salt water breeze.  Eager to explore, I headed out of our little tree cave towards the roaring sea.  As I ventured I found cliffs of unbelievable heights; waves smashing and splashing one hundred feet in the air! I climbed to the top of one such lava rock edifice and just gazed.  "This is Maui." I thought to myself as the song Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid crept into my mind.  

It is times like these when my heart is full.  


What kind of a life could we all have if we learned to just say "yes"?

Many blessings, 

-Sarah

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