During a trip to Hawaii, it was a wonderful sensory overload. I saw plants and wildlife that I’ve never seen before. After spending most of my life in southwestern U.S., I’m used to brown hills, saguaros, brown lizards, and brown coyotes…oh yeah, and did I mention brown? Needless to say, when I arrived in Hawaii, it was the opposite of brown.
I found these alien-like flowers at the Dole Plantation between Honolulu and the North Shore. We have birds of paradise in the desert, but definitely no bromeliad plants or any other type of plant with a rainbow of colors like this. (By the way, I found these awesome plants outside the tour area…free is even better!)
As part of my process in finding peace, I’ve learned to pause and look at the beauty around me. Standing in front of these bright red flowers, just pausing and taking my time, I noticed more details. I was quite surprised to find green geckos on the branches! If I had walked by without pausing, I would never have seen these cute little creatures scurrying around.
Not to be outdone by green geckos and giant bromeliads, there were pink pineapples and wild roosters. I had read about the chickens and roosters that were all over the island, but it was still quite amusing to see in person. I resisted the urge to take pictures of chickens for a few days, but once I got wrapped up in the atmosphere, I couldn’t help myself. And of course, I had never seen a pineapple growing, let alone a pink one, which is a newer species that Dole is trying out.
My visit to the pineapple farm made me feel grateful that I had found solace in such a unique place. After finding these strange and exciting plants and animals, it made me want to explore further. I think a trip to a place that is foreign to me stirred up a new zest for life. While I was searching for peace and found an array of detailed beauty, I rediscovered what it was like to learn about new things. I cannot wait for additional trips, and am looking forward to the world opening up again.
Where will you go? Share in the comments below!
Peaceful at Dawn 
What a great blog posting. Not only is your writing so eloquent, but you also put the idea of mindfulness in such an applicable way for others to practice. It’s true that we really have so much beauty around us, if we just stop and look for a second! I can’t wait to go to Hawaii myself this October. It looks beautiful there! I loved the little geckos. So adorable!
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Thank you! 😊 I appreciate that brought up mindfulness, as that’s something I’ve been trying to focus on. I’m looking forward to going back to Hawaii, too! 🌺
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