A Moment Of Peace From Hawaii

Aloha, from Hilton Head. Yes, I am back to the grind (if you call living on Hilton Head and working at H3 the grind). As I mentioned in my last blog, the best thing about returning from vacation is the knowing that I am coming home to a beautiful place and a job I enjoy. I promise that this is the last time I will talk about my trip, but I had to share one more amazing experience that we had with you. On our last day in Maui, we wanted to keep it simple—nothing too strenuous because we were facing the long trip home that evening. So we consulted our excellent guide book, Maui Revealed, for some ideas.

 

We decided to take a drive along the scenic northwest coast of Maui. The road was described as narrow and windy and we were cautioned to drive slowly and keep our eyes on the road (difficult to do with the incredibly beautiful scenery). Well, we soon found out that narrow meant REALLY narrow, in fact one lane in many places, with one stretch of road being one lane for a whole 1.5 miles. Not only was it narrow, there were many sections without guardrails and sheer cliffs only a few feet away from our tires. The picture below gives you pretty good idea of what road was like.

[caption id="attachment_7465" align="alignright" width="420" caption="Kahekili Road"][/caption]

I can tell you that there were times my heart rate was as high as it gets during a vigorous cardio workout. Having said that, when we had the chance to pull off the road, and take in the views on solid ground, it provided one of the most relaxing and calming moments of our time on Hawaii.

Sometimes when things get hectic and the stressors of life begin to pile up, it’s good to take a mental break, stop, close your eyes, and think about something pleasant or calming. It doesn’t make the stress go away but it might help put it in perspective—or least create a temporary reprieve. Here is the picture I am going to see in my mind’s eye the next time I need to take that mental break.

My Hawaiian Vacation Continues...

Aloha, from Maui. I didn't think there was any way to top last week but I think we did. Once again it is tough to pick the highlight of the week. We took a helicopter ride over an active volcano and  several waterfalls, hiked down to and walked around a steaming volcano crater, took a submarine ride and went to an authentic Luau. But my wife, Marianne, and I  agreed there was tie between the whale watching trip and the "Road to Hana". It was truly impressive seeing humpback whales in pods with as many eleven of these massive creatures swimming and diving together; and the road to Hana, with its incredible views, is a road you must take if you ever make it to Maui.

Last week I gave myself a pretty good grade as far as eating and exercise, and implied that Robert was not making the best choices, truth be told he probably made better choices than I. In restaurants, more often than not, he went for seafood. On both the Big Island and Maui we stopped at a Whole Foods store and loaded up on healthy options for some home cooked meals and lunches on the road. We also went to a vegetarian only grocery store named Down to Earth, to get the fixings for a delicious vegetarian meal. One of the phrases I use often at H3 is that there are "degrees of on," and while we didn't always make the best choices, we were able to "stay on" and make this a healthy, as well as fun, trip.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Robert Moore, H3’s President and CEO, for all he did in planning this unforgettable trip; John Schmitz, H3's owner, for supporting this trip and me over the past 15 years that he has owned the facility; as well the entire H3 staff and all the Guests I have met over the past 30 years. It has been my pleasure to work with all of you.

As you can imagine, it will be hard to leave this amazing place on Thursday night but knowing that I am coming home to beautiful Hilton Head and back to H3 makes it easier.

Aloha!

Aloha, H3!

Well, as many of you have guessed, I am in Hawaii, specifically the Big Island. For those of you who have never been here (like me prior to this trip), it is everything you have heard about and more. If you are wondering what has been my favorite thing so far, it's tough to say. The competition is stiff: snorkeling next to Capt. Cook's grave, gazing at the cliffs of Pololu, body surfacing at Hapuna Beach, or lunch with my beautiful wife on Valentine’s Day at a mountaintop ocean view cafe. Ok, lunch with my wife wins, but it's all been great!

The snorkeling trip was a close second. It started a little rocky when, as I fell back into the water from the boat, I somehow lost my snorkel. Not one minute before Capt. Cathy asked us to be very careful because the owner of the boat was getting upset because novice snorkelers were losing his equipment. Fortunately, Robert dove down and retrieved my snorkel. Yes Robert Moore, H3's CEO felt the need to chaperone us. As a 30 year resident of Hawaii, he not only planned the trip for us he has been our personal tour guide. It's great to have a local's perspective to help us navigate through all the options. But back to snorkeling...breathtaking, crystal clear water, thousands of tropical fish including the beautiful Humuhumunukunukuapuas, the state fish of Hawaii.  As some of you might know, I love to fish!  So at first, I was on a quest to find the biggest fish in the cove. I was frantically searching when I thought of Lisette's class on the importance of mindfulness or "being in the moment". This was not the time to look for the biggest fish, it was the time to savor the moment and take in the unbelievable underwater scenery.