Tiny Offerings: My Hawaiian Adventure - Part One "Transitioning to Island Life"

We all go through life looking for so many things that sometimes one becomes completely and utterly overwhelmed by all the looking. We are always on the hunt for the fulfillment of so many hopes and dreams, goals and aspirations that we forget to slow down, rest and enjoy the place in which we find ourselves. This has been my life of late. With big life changes just on the horizon, not to mention the everyday stresses, I have been just a smidge overwhelmed (okay, maybe more than a smidge). My trip to Hawaii could not have come at a better time. I needed badly to step outside my life and get a little perspective.

Since I had never been to Hawaii I had the stereotypical picture in my head of Palm Trees swaying in the warm breeze and pristine beaches with crystal clear water. I was expecting to find the perfection of Paradise the moment I stepped on the plane. And I will admit I was a little disappointed upon my arrival. Perhaps I was just tired from the long flight over and not to happy about the 4 hour wait at the airport for my parents flight to arrive but whatever the reason I was feeling disappointed. What had I expected...to walk out the plane onto one off those beaches I had been dreaming about? But luckily the Honolulu airport is open air with lots of places to sit and wait with Palm trees and other tropical vegetation to admire. Plus having just come from Seattle at a crisp 43 degrees I was somewhat content to just sit outside in the warm 80 degree Hawaiian air.

Soon enough my parents plane arrived, we had all our bags, and the keys to our rental car in hand. Let's just say that I was very ready to leave the Honolulu International Airport. Although my disappointment still clung as we made our way to the condo as the drive from the airport with through the heart of industrial Honolulu then towering hotels and resorts in bumper to bumper rush hour traffic. By the time got checked into the condo, unloaded, and freshened up the sun had set on our first day in Paradise. We still walked the two blocks to the beach to find dinner and sit on the beach although these wasn't much to see in the dark.

The next morning there was a free breakfast that came with my parent vacation package. Basically they tell you all about the different activities and tours you can do on the island and help you book everything. After being bombarded by information you have to decide how you will spend your brief visit. I was feeling a little overwhelmed by all the decisions and frustrated that my time in paradise felt like it was being wasted inside when were I really wanted to be was the beach. So after a couple of hours and a $1000 worth of activities booked we emerged. Then we took the shuttle back to our condo to get changed into bathing suits and grab all we would need to park ourselves on a little patch of sand on Waikiki Beach for the rest of the day.

After only a few minutes of laying in the sun with my toes in the sand I thought to myself, "Ah, Now this is Hawaii." From that moment on I found the Hawaii of my dreams. The water was the warmest ocean I have ever swam in. Although the crowds were big everyone is so friendly and relaxed. It is easy to just "Hang Loose." It is hard to describe how great you feel so quickly on that Island. Perhaps the warm sun just melts away any worry or woe that you arrive with. Peace and rest seemed to abound everywhere.

Enjoying some Hawaiian Shaved Ice on Waikiki Beach