Day 181 - the road to Hana

From Tifferson Continued

I'm back from Maui. A lot of people asked what I was doing there...I didn't realize there could be other reasons aside from vacationing that I'd be in Maui... is it because it was in the middle of January? It feels like I haven't blogged in a long time, but it really hasn't been that long. Just a week. I've had lots of thoughts... but somehow not much urge to blog them. Just wanted to update you all with how I've been doing lately.

Let's see... some interesting things from Maui... I was the victim of postcard theft. I left 2 postcards (written, addressed, and stamped) on a desk, left for less than 5 minutes to take this picture (below) with the hotel photographer and when I returned to the desk, they were gone. Thankfully it wasn't a huge stack of postcards... just 2... but I was a little sad... and taken aback that someone would take my postcards. Got a call from my friend today that she got my stolen postcard in the mail today! I'm glad that whoever took them mailed at least one of them.

From Tifferson Continued

Someone in Hawaii also asked if my aunt and I were twins. Another person asked if we were sisters. :P

I somehow got an allergic reaction to something I put on my face. It's almost gone now. Just a very fine rash all over my face and behind my ears. Lovely souvenir from Hawaii. I am SLIGHTLY tanned... but mostly on my arms which are now covered because it's been cold and rainy at home now. It was a sunny 80 degrees everyday in Maui. I don't know why I somehow expected it to be the same when we came home... maybe because it's So Cal and it's possible to have sunny, 80-degree January's. Is this TMI? K... well I did have some thoughts about our road trip to Hana. I can blog that, but they're not very complete thoughts. Just bear with me.

One of the biggest things to do in Maui is to take the road to Hana. It's not so much the destination, but it's the journey there that makes it worthwhile. There's so much beauty... so much "natural island" to behold on the way to Hana... it's more the journey that's worth experiencing than actually getting there.

Hana is one of the last "old Hawaiian" towns left; left relatively untouched by tourism and commercialism that has changed the face of the Hawaiian islands in the last few decades. (K, I learned all this from the audio CD that we bought to tour-guide us through the road trip... I could have remembered incorrectly. Don't quote me). The only way to get there is to either take a boat or take the windy road around the mountains to that part of East Maui. We were warned to start early because it takes a while to get there, the speed limit in some parts of the road drops to 10 miles per hour because it's so windy and narrow, the road could be wet because it rains more frequently on some parts of the road, and there are over 60 one-way bridges on the 40 mile road to Hana. It doesn't look that windy on the map but... just trust me that it's pretty windy (not full of wind/air, but twisting with sharp turns). We stayed in Ka'anapali (see on the left, in west Maui). My aunt and I thought that there could be a horror movie made at nighttime called "the road to Hana"... but that probably wouldn't be good for tourism. There are no lights. I wouldn't recommend driving this road at night.

I am prone to motion sickness. I remember one winter retreat where it seemed like I projectile vomitted maruchan cup noodles and nacho cheese (I was still not smart enough in college to know NOT to eat that combo right before leaving) at the bottom of the mountain. Thankfully I was wearing a snowboarding jacket, which cleaned up very easily and I caught most of my vomit in the snow-sleeves. Again, very sorry to the poor gals who sat next to me who got puked on... and to the gals who puked later on because of me. My bad!

My aunt had researched things to do in Maui and told me about the road to Hana. She said there could be hiking along the way so I packed some appropriate footwear. I wasn't exactly thrilled at the thought of doing something that could potentially make me motionsick while on vacation, but it was something worthwhile to do so I made up my mind that we were gonna do it. Everyone said to take the road to Hana... and that the view and scenery on the way there were spectacular. Didn't want to miss out. I'd just wear my little acupressure bracelets and hope for the best. We saved the puke bag from the airplane for the road to Hana... just in case.

All in all, I think that the warnings weren't all that bad. Yes, the road is pretty windy but maybe since we were in no rush to GET to Hana, we took it slow and felt no urge to push it. Also with the narration giving us interesting facts along the way, it did make the trip feel less scary. Mostly, I think it was all in my head.

I began to think about the road to Hana and about how it relates to the journey of life. It's not a perfect analogy, but there are some lessons that can be learned. On the road to Hana and on the journey of life, there are lots of twists and turns, sometimes you are forced to drop your speed and go really slowly, sometimes you stop and let others pass you by, sometimes you hit a one-way bridge and proceed with caution. Also, life isn't just about the destination, although, the destination IS important. It's how you approach the journey there that matters just as much as actually getting there... well unless you're not going to the right place, in which case, the destination becomes VERY significant and I really really hope that you're on the journey to be with God. Come talk to me if you're not sure where you're going. Let's just say that we're talking about the Christian life here.

What you focus on during the journey really impacts your attitude and your appreciation of the trip. Are you so focused on the twists and turns that you miss the beauty on the side of the road? Are you driving so fast that you're putting yourself in harm's way? Are you so focused on the end point that you're missing the experiences along the way? Are your eyes so focused on the gray concrete that you feel that the journey is just as colorless as the path you're taking? Are you rushing to get through this one part that you're missing the beauty of the journey? Look up (wisely and with discernment) and see what's there before your eyes... God's creation... His masterpiece all around you.

(not my pictures... but you can check my fb for some...)

It's not just appreciating the journey... it's also being prepared for it so that you CAN enjoy it and make the most of it. Knowing what's coming ahead is part of the fun of the journey, but knowing to stop to hike around, to explore what's beyond what you can see from the road... it's also worthwhile... because if you just sped by without someone telling you what was there around the corner, you wouldn't even know what you were missing. I recommend the audio CD if you're gonna take the road to Hana... and I also recommend talking with people who are a little further along in the journey of life... they'll let you know what to appreciate along the way, what's good here, what's good there.... what they would have done had someone told them before THEY went... what was worth it and what wasn't.

And... being prepared... equipment-wise is beneficial too. I had packed my shoes for hiking on the road to Hana, but I had forgotten to wear them on the day of and of course I didn't realize it until we were well on our way. I couldn't hike very far in flip-flops so I was really limited in what I could do and what I could enjoy scenery-wise. My shoes, even though they were relatively close to me geographically, were totally useless cuz I didn't bring them along WITH me. I had also failed to bring a jacket for some reason... I didn't think it'd be cold or windy (yes, this time it's wind/air) along the way or in Hana. It's hard to enjoy the scenery when you're chilly, shivering and goose-bumpy. Knowing what you need, knowing what you MIGHT need and actually bringing it and using it for the journey are two very different things. The same goes for the Word of God in your life. You might have read it, you might have studied it, you might have known that you'll need it... but if you don't actually bring it or if you brought it but didn't pull it out to use it when you needed it... it doesn't serve its intended purpose... AND you've limited your enjoyment of the journey because you were unprotected and unprepared for situations when you needed it.

Hm. Getting long. I think I'm done writing about Hana and even though it's an old thought (and not a fresh one), I hope you get my point. Take the road to Hana, don't be afraid of it. Heed the warnings and count the cost, but go see for yourself. Don't rush the journey, enjoy it and stop frequently to take it in. Be prepared, do your part, bring the right "stuff" and you'll make the most of the journey. And also... stop but don't stay stopped. Keep in mind that you're on the road to Hana and what's on the way is enjoyable but it's simply that... it's on the way. Everyone lives life... but to live the abundant life heading towards a heaven to which there is no more sorrow, no more pain... makes the journey so much more enjoyable. G'night!