A Moment in Paradise

Earlier in the year, my mom had talked about taking a vacation to Hawaii. I thought that it would be a good idea, considering how stressed I was when my mom proposed the idea.

In October, this plan became reality. We planned a trip to the island of Kauai, supposedly one of the most beautiful islands in Hawaii.

I think it's fair to say that there's always a bit of anxiety when traveling to places you've never been to before, but I was able to push most of that aside. I was half expecting Kauai to be like a Third World country, but I was relieved to find that it was very much like home in many respects (except for the fact that it was significantly warmer).

When we attended orientation on our first morning, we were bombarded with a host of options. There were several people promising an adventure of a lifetime. It can be a little hard to decide when you have so many options, but at least we could gather a sense of what we wanted to do while visiting.

Ultimately, I spent a lot of time by the pool reading. I found this to be quite relaxing, and of course I could jump in the pool at any time if I felt like it. I have heard it said that it takes about a week to adjust to "vacation mode", because in our society, we're in "work mode" most of the time. Since we really only had about a week and half in Kauai, I'd like to think that I spent my time wisely by laying it back.

Nevertheless, we did attend a Luau. It felt somewhat commercial, to be honest, but of course Hawaii has been a popular vacation destination for many decades.

We also went on a helicopter ride around the island, and this was awesome. Kauai truly has some beautiful locations that would be hard to reach on foot or otherwise.

Another defining moment for me was swimming in the ocean. To make a long story short, I had become rather afraid of swimming in salt water because I was poisoned once on a beach in Malaysia. In Kauai, I left my fears behind, and decided to give it another try. It was a liberating experience.

When all was said and done, I felt like I got a second chance at summer. Not to say that I had lost summer, but it wasn't exactly what I had hoped for. In Kauai I had the chance to recharge my batteries, and relax in the sun.

As an aside, the book I read during my stay in Hawaii was Joel Osteen's Your Best Life Now. There was someone who pointed out to me that Joel Osteen "waters down the gospel", but I nevertheless enjoyed the book. Certainly, you shouldn't confuse it for the Bible, but there is something we can all learn from Joel: childlikeness.