Kissing the Earth

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“Although we walk all the time, our walking is usually more like running. When we walk like that, we print anxiety and sorrow on the earth […] Be aware of the contact between your feet and the earth. Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet. We have caused a lot of damage to the Earth. Now it is time for us to take good care of her. We bring our peace and calm to the surface of the Earth and share the lesson of love. We walk in that spirit.”

-Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Step

As mentioned in several previous posts, I’m a believer in the therapeutic power of a nice walk. 

The other night, I was introduced to a “free Thai foot massage”. We arrived at this park, passing a bunch of buff dudes doing their muay Thai training stuff, then came upon this little winding pathway composed of thousands of tiny stones. 

I removed my shoes and started to walk across. The beginning had smoother stones that began closer to the ground. I worked over those quickly to find that as the path continued, the stones were progressively raised to little rounded points and spread out, thus creating a very uncomfortable experience for my feet. 

I noticed a little old man ahead of me, who appeared to be moving at a glacial speed, or not at all. So after observing the man, I slowed my pace to what might look like a halt, closed my eyes, breathed in, out, and smiled. As I rolled each foot from the heel to the toes, I mentally scanned each pressure point and imagined exactly where every rock was digging in. As soon as one point was identified, I began to lift off the rock and displace with more weight in another area. 

Before, I was just rushing over the rocks like some obstacle I wanted to get out of the way in order to get to “happy feet” at the end. After changing my approach, I found my “happy feet” with each mindful step. I felt the intensity of each rock, but rather than seeing them as nuisances, the rocks began to awaken not only the nerves in my feet, but throughout my body and how I carry myself. Correcting my posture and aligning my head over my shoulders over my knees and toes, I felt like I was kissing the Earth with my feet.

The next day, I headed west from the city into the jungle. Craving intimacy with nature, I hiked barefooted through the jungle and waterfalls. Kissing the Earth.

This electrifying feeling reminds me that having a harmonious yet mutually vulnerable relationship with the earth is really the only way to have sustainably “happy feet”.

Turn up your speakers, turn off the lights, and dance your way into heaven...

mp3: Jack Penate- Pull My Heart Away

Asadachi!

So a day after my last somewhat unsettling post, I got a job. In the words of my partner's parents, "A good balance between working towards your future and staying in the moment helps you to just be" and how true that is. After having one of the hardest, most emotionally and physically demanding jobs I think anyone could ever have (wilderness therapy with juvies), it's been hard for me to just let go, take some time for myself, and relax without feeling worthless.

Before coming out here, I was proud to tell people that I was looking forward to bagging groceries. I think my job is a step up from that. I've never worked retail before, but I am now the proud employee of Surf N Sea, the oldest surf shop on the North Shore AND the only one right on the beach. I get free rentals for myself and a friend (that goes for surfboards, stand up paddle boards, kayaks, dive equipment, etc). I am also required to take surf lessons some of the best to break some bad habits, as well as being required to swim with sharks (from a cage, of course). After 3 months I'll get PADI certification (which is super expensive otherwise).


Anyway, even though it's retail and I'm quite anti-capitalist, I love my job. At least half of our customers are Japanese, so I've been trying to pick up phrases here and there. I can say things ranging from "yes you are very very skinny, but this will shrink in the wash" to "hello, you have nice morning wood!" thanks to an initiation prank played on me by my co-workers. If I do end up studying Japanese Politics in graduate school, this may or may not be of some use...

Working towards the future but staying in the moment... one embarrassed Japanese customer at a time.

Cathedrals

In the cathedrals of New York and Rome
There is a feeling that you should just go home
And spend a lifetime finding out just where that is

mp3: "Cathedrals"- Jump, Little Children

It's a funny thing to be homesick when I'm not sure what or where it is I'm missing.

And it's easy to forget to be thankful for things when I have so much to be thankful for.

Quotidian life of a fresh transplant

Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and now Hawaii.

We arrived in Hawaii just to catch the sunset and sleep in the car near Pipeline.

Monday
(-) woke up cranky from jet lag/sleeping in a car
slept in the car again that night

(+) woke up ON THE BEACH
Nick discovered that the beach in the morning is better than a shopping mall-- salvaged a rugby football and sand pail
set up several appointments to check out apartments


Tuesday
(+) we got our very first apartment. It's got wood floors, washer and dryer, dishwasher, a full kitchen, balcony, and it's ON THE NORTH SHORE

(-)Slept on hard wood floors
had to convince Nick not salvage the used sponge on the side of the road for our apartment

Wednesday
(+) we got our own bed- $100 with free delivery!
stocked up on taro at the Waialua farmers market
Met Larry *

(-) potentially destroyed phone-- no internet access or phone!
tired from walking 3 miles to the nearest town
no sheets on a used mattress... yick...

Thursday
(-) took the bus down to Honolulu/Waikiki to replace the phone at the apple store

(+) found out the phone was okay!
got to show Nick why we're so lucky to be on the North Shore (he hadn't seen Waikiki/Honolulu before)
made out like bandits at the goodwill store to stock our apt.

Friday
(+) we got a couple of beach cruisers- $80 a pop

(-) mine got a flat within 30 minutes of riding it
we found out that the surf spot behind our house is known as "Hammerheads" because it's a breeding ground for hammerheads, but also notorious for shark sightings (!) Not that that will stop me...


Saturday
(+) got a leather recliner from a garage sale for $15
rekindled my love for lilikoi lemonade at the Waimea farmers market
befriended Maui, a Native Hawaiian artist (who hooked me up with recycled blankets and towels)

(-) lost my boyfriend somewhere and had to talk to people at garage sales to track him down

Sunday
(+) Stocked up on produce and acai bowls at the Haleiwa Farmers Market
+began the process of pimping my ride- I've now got a milk crate on the back to carry my junk. next to come- streamers, big cushy seat, and a horn.

(-) I've been stuck in this coffee shop for a few hours trying to jailbreak my iphone so we can get internet access without having to haul the lappy 3 miles into town. Wah.


*Larry will likely be blogged about in the future due to his well-rounded awesomeness.