November 24 2016

Pills for Chills

It’s pitch black. I hold my camera tight to capture it. My hand cramps as the wind draws my tears down each cheek.

Who knew Hawaii could be chilly?

I shove the video camera in between my legs to free my hands to take photos on my DSLR camera, all the while trying to be mindful of the heady sight. As I focus on a tiny speck of light, I meticulously force my finger down on the shutter before noticing my phone camera completely out of focus.

Carefully, I stow away the DSLR and reposition the video camera. I get lost in thought gazing at the sky and when I check my video again, the frame is off balance.

I scrap it and try again, marching full-focus into a second time-lapse attempt at capturing our “perfect” Sun rise from the last moments of pre-dawn. But the wind decides to interfere. Shots of post-sunrise will have to do.

pillbox_hike

Take on too many challenges, and the quality drops. Put your eggs in one basket, and an errant gust ruins your breakfast. Zen comes from balance.

kokohead

What’s the message here?
When we over-focus on a situation, it can rot.
When we strive for new, our original loses perfection.

What do do?
Acknowledge your actions
Step back
Ask for advice

breatheinandnout

My phone ticked 5:45am as new friend Kelly and I touched the Lanikai Pillboxes summit. It was my fourth hike on Oahu. And the second hike entitled “Pillboxes.” Original.

climbing_pillboxes

The HI Life

view_from_the_pillboxes

Silly me thought it was called “Pillboxes” after the ones my grandma uses. No. Pillboxes are small concrete houses with a long slender hole to shoot enemies during World War II. I wasn’t totally off with my thinking because their name was derived from my grandma’s since they look alike.

pillboxes

This Hawaii life is certainly no hard pill to swallow.

The active life is my natural chill pill.

pillbox_earlymorning

While in Oahu, I’ve been meeting new people, hanging with family, practicing yoga, swimming, hiking, touring Hawaii 5-0, and scurrying around this island exploring basic life concepts that apply to bigger picture realities.

oahu_hawaii