I am reminded of how I grabbed onto the Wheel of the Year, almost two years ago. It’s value seems to ebb and flow in my life, but is always present. The turn of the wheel, and the reminder to be thankful every six weeks, has become so important to my journey. I have found my thoughts moving, ever so slowly, but inexorably, in sadder spirals in recent days. And then Yule appears on the calendar. There is no peer pressure to observe Yule. There are no external pressures of any kind. And yet. And yet, just knowing Yule is coming, and thinking about the Wheel, and my commitment to celebrate, causes a change in my… In my… I don’t really know. But a change for the better. And then I received this morning the graphic at the top of the page. From a loved one whom I have no reason to believe shares my commitment, but knows of it. I cried.
For those not around two years ago, I highly commend this book. It sounds trite, but it changed my life.
I have been working out of Honolulu for the past several months but recently completed a temporary assignment on Maui. While there, I had the opportunity to spend some time on Haleakalā and in the National Park. The summit is over 10,000 feet, above the cloud level, and spectacularly beautiful. The photo at the left is at the summit, looking down into the caldera. In the middle is āhinahina, or Haleakalā Silversword. Highly endangered, but well conserved in the park. On the right is an example of the trails I stumbled around on for several hours. I went back to the car when multiple groups stopped to offer me water.
Still in Haleakalā Park, but at lower elevation and on the windward side of Maui. Just south of Hana. Rather than high altitude and arid, this area averages 187 inches of rain annually. On the left is Waimoku waterfall with a height of 400 feet. On the right is a portion of the two mile trail in, and in the center a large banyan at about half way.
While rainbows are ubiquitous in Hawai’i, they seem especially vibrant on Maui. If I was a little quicker I could have snagged a pot of gold at both ends of this one.
In between Maui and my return to O’ahu, I got to spend Thanksgiving with some of the family. We rented a home on Lake Norman. In preparation, Brittany and I took a course on pie baking. The place was gorgeous, dinner was delicious and obscenely plentiful. While I didn’t appreciate it headed in, it was a well needed break.
After the nature walks on Maui, and on my return to Honolulu, I went shopping for a plant to bring some green to the office. I explained to the person at the garden center that I wanted a native Hawaiian plant, good inside, in low light, and low maintenance. The list of plants that met that criteria was a null set. So after further sizing me up, I was offered this “ZZ” plant, apparently a relative of taro. That was two weeks ago and it is still green.
And now I’m back at the start. Sitting on my balcony in Waikiki, the clouds rolling in. Wine, snacks, and tunes, trying to catch up on a blog, and feelings, too long ignored. Merry Yule and Happy Solstice!!
The Journey 