Makahiki Begins

The rise tonight of Nāhuihuiamakaliʻ (known in English as the constellation Pleiades) marks the beginning of the Makahiki in Hawaii, a four month celebration of the harvest, and a time of renewal and rest. Wars were forbidden to allow chiefs to freely move around the islands collecting tribute to Lono, the god of the harvest, and to allow the people to come together for feasts and sports. In modern times, the arrival of Makahiki is greeted with small ceremonies and reenactments around the island that attempt to preserve and perpetuate a small piece of the past for future generations.

Taken from the blog Ma ona

Clearing Out

Our house is emptying out!! Yesterday we sold the leather couch, love seat and matching chair, a bunch of kitchen stuff, plants, cookbooks, book shelves, my diamond ring, snowshoes, the butcher block island, and DVD's. Today Andrea came over and bought the lazy boys, tomorrow the lady who bought the couches is coming back over to buy the pot rack. Next weekend I'm going to pack up the rest of the yellow room and it'll be empty once Dan's sister comes over and gets the china cabinet. One room down. I broke out grandma's old lazy boy chair for Dan (I have to keep mine - the one that now belongs to the new owner of this house - cuz otherwise the dogs can't sit with me) and it's a little small for Dan, but he says its fine.

I sent out some emails last night for some rentals in Kauai. Got some email responses as well as a phone call. The emails said to look them up when we get out there. The lady who called was very nice, sounded like a native. The place is pretty far out by a military base, it's a house divided into 3 separate homes. The one that is available is upstairs and an attic separates it from the other unit. She was fine with Baxter and Lucy. So maybe we only stay there the first month. Dan found a job in the Kauai newspaper for a Audio/Visual Tech Specialist. He would provide services for concerts, conventions, whatever. He sent the posting to my girlfriend Ilissa to see if she'd herd of the place because she does that sort of thing on a large scale. She'd not only heard of it but used to work there as a Director Of Sales. They talked for a long time, she gave him tips on wording and what the job would entail. She said to use her as a reference. It seems like things are starting to come together.

My uncle is coming to visit us next weekend, he and my aunt live in Texas and they want to see us before we go. They are so sweet, my uncle is really funny. The only ones in my family who are really making an effort. My brother came over yesterday to buy some stuff.

While we got about 9 inches of snow, Kauai is flooding out. The guy I met on Face Book the other day is excited about it and Kauai's Hindu Monastery had a video where they were outside, watching the Wailua river flood out with big grins on their faces, standing in 6" of water in flip flops. It's not so much fun for others, some had to be evacuated from their homes.

Friday my boss had our monthly meeting and fortuitously, I was the only one who showed up. We had a honest discussion of my frustrations as well as his and Dan's. I understand now his position and know that things will never change in that department. Not as long as the "child" is running things! I can leave now, with peace. No hard feelings. It has been a great place to work and grow, mentally and financially.

Dan and I are eating like crap and I am not inspired to do much, like blog, so sorry for the lack of posts. I can't believe how exhausting it is to sell all of our stuff. Luckily, Dan and I are doing great. No arguments, some impatience but that is temporary. I actually cooked today. I haven't felt like doing that lately either. We have been living on Isagenix shakes mostly during the work week. We have been eating burgers and fries, ice cream, pastries, eggnog lattes. Sugar, sugar, sugar!!

Change for Balance

The decision to leave has been the hardest so far. Everything else (selling our house and selling our stuff, quitting our job, moving) is time consuming and stressful but tolerable because it's the beginning of the end. The end of the rat race, the end of the doldrums. Once we leave, it will be the beginning. A lot of people at work are inspired by our move. My boss said we came up in an executive meeting and that we had the whole of the company rooting for us. I think that is fantastic. I hope we inspire at least one person to make their dreams a reality, now! Not later, life is too short. Even if it's starting with small things like writing, learning how to dance, getting out in nature more.

Yesterday, my friend posted the comment "Mahalo Maui" on Face Book. One of her friends posted "Mahalo Kauai". I'm becoming so bold in this process that I did something I wouldn't have done a year ago. I sent him a friend request with a message. I told him I saw his post and was wondering if he was visiting or if he lived there. His name is Roddy, he said he lives there in the winter! We talked back and forth all day and I learned that he is a producer, director and editor for a production company he owns with 3 other guys. Change for Balance. What a fantastic name, a name that could describe what we are doing! They make videos that matter, their latest Equine Destiny, "exposes mounting issues facing this country's equines. Horse abandonment and neglect are not new problems. Today, these problems have increased dramatically."

This morning I got a message from my friend, one who is inspiring me!

Hi Marta!

Yes, a lot of travel for me these days! Leaving Maui tomorrow and off to India for two months, then Byron Bay Australia. See where it leads when you "let yourself be guided"????! Pinch me!

So far my journey has been amazing-beautiful, fulfilling, healing...and FUN!!!

So excited for you two! I've met SO many people from Kauai lately! (lots seem to go to Bali). I have two friends who have a production company and live on Kauai. I met them in Mysore last year. Cool, laid back and talented! Try to hook up with them, Jay and Roddy: www.changeforbalance.com
Stay in touch Marta. I am so excited to hear how it goes for you guys!
lots of love, and good luck on your journey!
xo

Change For Balance Productions | Welcome

Source: www.changeforbalance...

Providing high quality media resources and support to groups and individuals who are contributing to the betterment of humanity.

Funny how things work out!

Good Day Today

Dan and I spent the day preparing to sell stuff. We sold a TV and boom box. He decided to pull the foosball table out and assemble it so we could get a picture and post it on Craigslist. It was kind of chaotic. Rob was leaving with the TV when the guy who wanted the boom box pulled up. As Rob was telling me about his glider plane 2 young men from The Latter Day Saints walked up. I told them we were moving, hoping to brush them off and they offered to help. Rob and the boom box guy left as the boys helped Dan upright the table. They stayed for a while, one of them was into the dead so we chit chatted. They were here for about an hour, threw their pitch in. We counter offered with our beliefs and all was well. They left their number, offering to help us move. Dan decided we needed to play a game before we sold it so we broke out the beer, tunes and smokes and had a great time. I love that table! We got so buzzed I didn't feel like making dinner so it's pizza and Dexter for the evening, maybe another game before bed!

Strange Days Indeed

Dan the Sleestak and me the good luck Hawaiian gecko.

Saturday, we went to Jenny and Jen's Halloween party. I was never a Halloween person but Dan is. He talked me into getting a fairly expensive costume and I'm glad I did. I get it now. It's fun to dress up as someone or something else and parade around with your friends being silly and generally having a great time. Since I won't be needing it in Hawaii (way to hot there - it was 80 degrees Halloween night) I donated my costume to Bill, he has 4 boxes of costumes!

This Halloween in Kauai, a yacht race with themed costumes. The crew of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" won.




Things are getting stressful. I'm smoking like a fiend and my body hates it, I tell it to hold on for a couple more months because I really can't quit right now! I imagine Dan and I will apply our first patch on the plane ride to Kauai. For the last several nights I wake between 4 and 5am. This morning it was 4. I lay there for a good 40 minutes, deciding that when I am in Kauai I am going to run and do yin yoga on the beach every day. If I have time, I'll go for a swim. It'll be great because I can breathe there and when I do yin yoga I am most receptive to my higher self, something I plan on listening to more. (I'm in the garage smoking and typing this and Dan with his mussed up hair and sleepy eyes, peeks his head around the door and joins me, he can't sleep either). As I lay in bed, some things kind of coalesce. I had a great day with a producer yesterday. (Funny how once I became unattached to that place things seem to be getting better in my sessions). She was upset, worried about a project. We talked and by the end of the session she thanked me because she felt better. She even sent me an email later thanking me again and saying she used some of my advice in a meeting and things were looking up. That made me really happy because one of the things I want to do is be inspiring. So, that showed me I can do it. I think that I can combine my love for health, food, and yoga with some inspiration. I can get certified in yoga and personal chef eventually combining the two. Several years ago I did a cleanse at a yin yoga studio. It was 7 days long eliminating all animal products. The first day you can have whole grains, beans, fruits and veggies. Every day you eliminate 1 thing like grains and then beans. On the 4th day you only have fruit and veggies and then you ramp back up again adding one thing a day. It also included yoga classes to support the anxiety you feel not eating the foods you normally eat. It's a great thing to do because it's breaks the strong connection you have with food, making you realize you don't need that much. My instructor has this soothing voice and while you are deeply relaxed, in these poses designed to stretch your connective tissue (joints) you are mentally open. She did a fantastic guided meditation where once she got you where she wanted you, she asked you if your addiction to food (or in my case cigarettes) was bigger than you. I got a resounding NO!!! It was really powerful. Dan wasn't quitting at the time so I was not able to stay clean. I always wanted her to do it again, I don't think she understood the healing power of it, for whatever reason she never did it again. I would love to do that. Another idea I had takes some explaining. When I got my facial Monday, I told my esthetician she looked great. She attributed it to a cleanse she is doing called Isagenix. She took me to her kitchen (she works out of her home) and showed me the shakes, snacks and tonics. She had me try a shot of the cleanse tonic and some energy booster. I listened to her, not taking it too seriously. I believe the body does a great job of cleansing itself if you eat whole plant based foods. Fifteen minutes later I am lying on her table and I feel a buzz of energy, I'm literally vibrating, in a good way. Also, normally when I lay down on my back, my lungs act badly. The asthma and smoking cause me to cough a lot. But, I'm laying there and I can breathe really well. I am taking big, deep breathes and having no trouble. It's like I have Lance Armstrong lungs! She tells me how it minimizes the grip fibromyalgia has on her, that she has lost weight, and she has energy now. I decide I want some and in the back of my mind I'm thinking I can sell this stuff too. So, big picture, maybe 3 years down the road: I own a yoga studio with a small cafe and sell Isagenix. It will have indoor/outdoor studios. The outdoor studio will have a covered lanai with an ocean or beautiful garden view and a waterfall. I can offer freedom from addiction classes, and healthy food. Locals will come to do yoga and eat healthy. Tourists will come for week long cleanses or detox/breaking addiction classes. I will still run on the beach every day and if I have the time go for a swim.

Dan found out yesterday that there is trouble with his folks. He may go to Chicago tomorrow. His step mom fell and broke her wrist, herniated 2 disks and broke her femur in half. She is going to be in the hospital for a long time. Meanwhile, his dad is at home and is so sick he needs professional help. Dan thinks he can go down there and talk his dad into going to an assisted living facility.

My wonderful, fun loving, detail oriented, caring dentist drops a bomb shell. She may be closing the practice, she is getting checked today for a bone marrow disease. At worst she has 6 months to live. I immediately get teary eyed while she happily tells me it's forcing her to get organized, she doesn't want to leave a mess for her family. She says she is going to close the practice and do crafts with her girls all day. One of them is there, a young girl they adopted from China. She is rolling around the office chair and I tell her her mom is a she-ro! Her sweet little face lights up. Dr. Albin Davis, uncomfortable with the compliment, says I don't see her cry. I wish I would have said it's ok, she-ros cry too. She is in a hurry to leave and so am I, I had arrived 15 minutes late. I over scheduled my day and now I have to rush home because Linda is meeting me there to buy candle supplies and my craft table. I love Linda. She is so laid back, non pulsed that we have arrived 30 minutes late. She, on the other hand, was on time. Forgetting to set her clock back an hour. Later that night Andrea came over to buy some kitchen stuff. We haven't seen her in 4 years. It's like we never left off, picking up a string of conversation that has been going on for years. She looks fantastic, happy because her dreams are coming true. She is now a home owner and joyfully making it her own. She is getting married in June.

This week we have sold:

Heavy bag, sped bag and stand, 2 kayaks, grain mill, vacuum sealer, kitchen supplies, candle supplies, and a craft table.

On a final note, we are completely out of debt! Dan paid off the jeep, so hopefully its, save, save, save.

Kauai

The beaches of Kauai are, without any doubt, some of the most enchantingly beautiful on earth. Visiting Kauai, nicknamed the Garden Isle, is for many a spiritual experience – a place where you can become whole again, a place to find your soul. The warm ocean is a very special transparent, sparkling blue, the sand so white and soft in places that is squeaks under your feet. Combine that with the lush backdrop of waterfalls rolling off the mountains, the tropical plants, fish and animal species and you find yourself in paradise indeed. On Kauai where the feeling and pace of old Hawaii has been preserved, watching the sun set on a beach will be a memory treasured forever.



One sobering thought - the Pacific Ocean demands respect. Waves can be very dangerous as they often break directly on the shore and rip currents can be hazardous and form without any warning. Always heed the warning signs and ask the locals, when they tell you it’s not safe to swim or surf, respect that. This island has long been the favorite of not only tourists, but also movie moguls and honeymooners. Kauai beaches - stunning, beautiful, enchanting.




All text and photos are "borrowed" from the internet.

This Is It

Dan and I played hooky today and went to see the Michael Jackson movie This Is It (to see trailer click on header). Iconic, creative and inspiring. Unfortunately for me, I never appreciated him while he was alive. When I was a teenager I loved his Off The Wall album. But after that, he was so huge, his music (Thriller, Bad) so over played, that I didn't really give him a second thought. This movie had me so emotional, so inspired, that by the end I was holding back the ugly cry. Michael wanted to document the process for his archives so all the footage is behind the scenes. It starts off with thousands of people auditioning for dancers. The "winners" explain, to Michael, how he has inspired them and it is a dream come true to be able to perform with him. Some of these young folks are so overcome with emotion they can barely speak. The whole thing is his set list, them rehearsing, shooting video for the stage inserts. I believe he was no child molester but crazy with the plastic surgery for whatever reason. What comes through in the film is his passion and joy for what he does. He is kind, loving, gentle with creative instruction, generous in his gratitude. He wants to spread the message of love, loving each other. There is a fantastic piece, an anthem to nature, that is very affecting. To watch him create, sing and dance -he was still such a fluid dancer- was really inspiring. He understood that creating is an adventure and that sometimes there is failure. It didn't get him down, he learns from it, makes gentle corrections and quickly moves on. I left sad for this great loss and inspired. It make me think of our move to Kauai. I don't really know what is going to happen or what I am going to do to earn my way in this world, but after this film, some things have solidified. I want to be creative. I want to stretch myself. I want to be inspired. I want to be inspiring. I want to motivate people towards their best selves. I want to take risks and let life guide me to where I should be. I want to pay attention. I want to open up. I want to learn. I want to teach. I want to be healthy. I want to be close to nature. I want to feel joy always. I want to share. I want to be kind. I want to be patient. And of course, I want to be prosperous!