Back in April, Leonard and I took a trip to Hawaii to celebrate my birthday and our anniversary. We had never been before and we were so excited to get away to such a memorable and beautiful place. However, we made a pitstop to San Francisco, CA for a couple of days to visit a good friend and to see the sights. I had never been there myself and I was mesmerized by the gorgeous weather and such fantastic sights! If you’ve never been, I highly recommend a visit.

We were not there very long, but on our second day there, we hopped on one of those tour buses that goes all over the city to all the tourist spots. On one stop, we got off and walked over to Alamo Square Park to look at the famous “painted ladies” row of historical Victorian houses. They were cool to see of course, but walking around that park made an impression on me that was theme for the entire trip. EVERYONE we seemed to encounter was having fun outside, just enjoying LIFE. Playing frisbee, catch, running, walking, having picnics, walking their dogs….etc. I had never before seen so many people, on a weekday mind you, just chilling outside and enjoying nature. It made me pause and wonder how people in once city can act very differently than another. I do not think I had ever noticed that before; but here it was plain as day. Let’s put a pin in that thought.

The next day we flew to Maui for the second part of our trip, the main attraction so to speak. I have never seen a place so full of life and vitality. There was so much to enjoy and see and do! But, I will tell you that every local we stopped to chat with or get to know LOVED living there. They didn’t care that the cost of living was so much higher. They didn’t care that they have to wait more patiently for items to be shipped to them. The didn’t care that they lived n a place where millions of tourists come through every year. They wouldn’t trade it for the world. And every one of them said the same thing- “You cannot beat the quality of life here”. They understood that living in paradise is a privilege and worth making sacrifices to stay there. One bus driver said that he left to go to college on the mainlands but couldn’t wait to return home. He is educated and could have a great job elsewhere but he chose to come back and drive a tour bus and do hiking excursions for a living. Another said that he would take a paycut in order to keep his 3 day weekends so he could continue to enjoy surfing and island hopping when he was off!

I was in awe of how well they take their downtime seriously, enjoy themselves, work humbly, and respect and love the nature that surrounds them. It is a lesson to us all.

It was a wonderful trip, one where we did so much but also gained some valuable insight. And, when we came back, I didn’t even know what day of the week it was. That means it was a good vacation!

And I’ve decided I’m way too busy sometimes to notice the little things. I’ve got to slow down and stop to smell the roses along the way….