Tides

Graduation was over and when it was time, I got rid of half the things I owned including my Black Berry, all my furniture, my clothes, my escape artist adrenaline junkie turtle Tallie and said good bye to my beloved car Callie which was to sit idle at my mom's house. We then packed 200 pounds of necessary items (we know the amount because the airlines made sure to charge us for every single ounce) and moved to the North Shore of Kaua'i, Hawaii on May 28th. The plan was to live on a farm for 3-6 months and learn permaculture* through a hands on experience. The agreement with Mary (the lady with the farm in Hawaii) was to work 15 hours per week on the farm in exchange for food and a place to stay (a tent we set up). In theory, this was the best plan ever. In practice, it was much different.

So, we gave it a go. Nothing clicked. Nothing felt right and while we were in one of the most undenibaly beautiful places one could hope to be, we did not want to be there. So, we bought plane tickets back to Arizona after 5 days and took away some valuable lessons.

1. Intuition. Follow it. Before we left, it was incredibly hard to get out of here. Everything felt like we were running through mud while eating peanut butter (chunky) trying to climb a brick wall (covered in stinky olive oil). We felt like we should have been thrilled, excited beyond belief for this journey- but we weren't, no matter how much we tried to talk ourselves into it.

2. All that glitters is not gold. Sometimes you come across amazing oportunities in life that draw you in like a bug towards a light bulb. What is important to remember is sometimes those lightbulbs are bug zappers. Just because an opportunity or an idea seems incredible doesn't mean it is meant for you. Sometimes a place is better appreciated from a postcard. Life is not one size fits all. Specifically Hawaii is not for everyone- despite what their incredible tourism campaign may lead you to believe.

3. Be Decisive. When we realized that it wasn't for us, we left as soon as possible. We could have thought of a thousand reasons to stick around for one more harvest or one more night. But sticking around longer could have been detrimental to us, the people we were working with and the work we were doing simply because it was not the right place for us to be. We made up our minds and took action, and it was the best ever!

4. Chin Up. If it's not alright right now, it will be soon. Smile through it and trust that things are as they should be. "Although it may be unclear to you no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."

5. Don't do something because it sounds appealing to someone else. I got wrapped up in the response from everyone else and how excited (or surprised) they were for me. But in so doing I forgot to listen to my innate (intuition). Which was screaming "What!? What are you doing? This is so not what I was telling you to do! Hello?!"

6. When making life decisions, tell the ego to shut up. Sometimes my ego likes to try and govern my life but I have decided that policy is bad news bears. From now on, it is my responsibility to feel first, listen second, tell third.

7. Follow your heart. Yes, you have heard this a thousand times- but there is a reason for that. It is the best all encompassing advice you could give or receive. You know, always, in your heart what is right. The hard part is listening to it. If you are able to listen and be guided by your heart you will be richly rewarded. Things will fall into place (although it may take a while and be difficult, extremely difficult, along the way) and you will live the life you want- even if you are not sure what that life may be at this moment.

All in all, 0 regrets, a zillion pounds of gratefulness for all the support and endless love for the journey.

**We- referring to my boyfriend Jim and I.**

* [pur-muh-kuhl-cher] (n: a system of cultivation intended to maintain permanent agriculture or horticulture by relying on renewable resources and a self-sustaining ecosystem)