We all make assumptions about people. I have had people make the same 3 assumptions about me for most of my life.
- I’m a vegetarian
- I’ve been to Hawaii
- I stand up paddleboard
Too bad all of those assumptions were very wrong, until recently! Kevin and I had been cooking up a trip for a month, unsure of where to go for the two weeks we could manage during his winter break. Warm! We wanted someplace warm!
On a random Tuesday, we decided to look at places to stay on Kauai. Through so many amazing things at play, we were able to find a place to stay and flights within an hour. Booked and booked! I walked into work the next morning with a flight and place to stay on Kauai for 10 days…before I put in my “vacation request”.
I could probably write an entire blog post on each day we spent on the “Garden Island”. Each one was full of sea turtles, friends, waterfalls, acai bowls, rainbows, diving, and let’s not forget about the Spam Musubi. But there was one car ride, in particular, I want to share.
Kevin and I had just spent the night on a beach in Polihale with some good friends. We were on our way back out, heading down this long, rough, dirt road. About halfway we saw this woman walking on the side. We both exchange the same look and Kevin slows down next to her to offer her a ride. She was more than grateful and hopped in! A little embarrassed of the mess and lack of seats because we were staying in the van, Kevin broke out his favorite beach chair and our new friend happily sat in the beach chair amongst the mess of sleeping bags, clothes, fins, and cameras.
It was then that we would meet the essence of Kauai in human form, but she just called herself Piia. Piia was from Estonia and had this lightness that surrounded her. After the normal “where are you from?” conversation, Kevin picking up on her energy, asked a new question. “What do you believe in?”
“I believe in my heart”. She continued to explain that she believes our hearts have a higher intelligence, which we forget to listen to it and get caught up in the structure of our minds. How we need to remember to follow what we love and trust that if we do, everything will work out. Enchanting us, we hung onto every word.
Then as quickly as the water rushes back after crashing on the shore, we dropped her off at a fruit stand in the small town of Waimea.
What had just happened? Who did we just meet? Quiet and with hearts overflowing we decided we just met Kauai.
Above Photo by Kevin Weaver
Where In the World is Shelby Lynn 