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Look for the Light

Look for the Light

by | Sep 2, 2023 | Uncategorized

The presence of the full moon this week was beautiful. I loved how many of us took the opportunity to go outside in the stillness of the evening or in the quiet, predawn moments of the morning to gaze at the moon. 

 

It got me thinking about how humans always look for the light. “Look on the bright side” is a favorite saying of our optimistic friends. At the same time, many of us clamor to catch the last rays of sunset or the first rays of the sunrise. 

 

There are many of us, too, though, who sometimes struggle with looking for the light. Just this week alone, I’ve heard of two people who have put in their notice to leave their job, not because of the pay, not because of the work itself, but because they’re tired of being yelled at, either by customers or coworkers. 

 

Maybe we are collectively still grieving what we have lost during the pandemic; most of us in Hawai’i or with close ties to Hawai’i are grieving for Maui. 

 

Regardless of the reasons, I choose to hold on to hope and continue to look for light because there’s always something, a little spot of sunshine or the light of the full moon through the trees, that we can hold onto. 

Saving Space

Saving Space

by | Aug 18, 2023 | Uncategorized

It’s been a week—a week filled with holding gratitude and grief simultaneously while navigating the tasks of everyday life. So much has changed, and yet the day-to-day hasn’t changed. 

 

I’ve had multiple conversations with friends, colleagues, and clients about how we can best continue, how we can best say the right thing, how we can best move forward with big decisions about careers and callings, and the best thing I’ve been able to come up with is to make sure we are saving space. 

 

Space for the tears, for the laughter, for the hard conversations and the celebrations. 

 

In a world where we are all pressed for time, and information flows rapidly in less than minute-long sound bites, it’s easy to get caught up in it all. 

 

This morning I saved space. Space for the phone call from a loved one, space for the sunrise to greet me on my walk, and already I feel the day ahead is a bit more manageable because I’ve saved some space. 

Choose to see the good

Choose to see the good

by | Jul 27, 2023 | Uncategorized

On a walk this afternoon in the windy Waimea rain, I thought about my day and the choices I had made and how differently the day would have turned out had I not chosen to see the good.

My day consisted of two trips to the DMV and vehicle safety check station, internet and phone issues, client requests, and a nagging stiff neck from a tough night of sleep.

I’m usually the first to want to walk it off and head out the door at the end of the day. But today, it was a little harder to choose; it was wet, it was windy, and a warm cup of tea sounded pretty nice.

Even Kinsey gave me her trademark side-eye and sighed as I clipped the leash to her collar.

But I chose to walk anyway.

Because, as we all know, you can’t have rainbows without a little bit of rain. But what we sometimes fail to see is the spots of sunshine that we need too for those rainbows to appear.

This cut barbed wire on an old fence post stopped me today. It looked so gnarled and unforgiving.

But just beyond it was the beauty of a rainbow, and just like that, my eyes shifted their focus. I got to choose to see the good. And what a beautiful choice it was.

Your focus will determine your reality

Your focus will determine your reality

by | Apr 16, 2023 | Uncategorized

“Your focus will determine your reality.”

 

It’s been a week of forward-thinking for me, meticulous planning, and conversations with loved ones about paths forward. There have been many questions and remorseful sighs, and still, there is always hope.

 

I heard this week, too, that “your focus will determine your reality,” and it gave me pause. What is it that I’ve been choosing to focus on? The what ifs on the path of life, or the view directly in front of me?

 

Living in a beautiful place has its challenges, but on days like today, choosing to focus on this, my favorite rock set up against the bluebird skies of Waimea will most definitely give me the dose of reality I was looking for.

The Pivot

The Pivot

by | Aug 18, 2022 | Uncategorized

One day out of every week, I get to spend with Dayna Cole Wong of Naupaka Events & Weddings She is also a small business owner, so the time we share is invaluable on many levels. Each day I’m usually left with the gift of a lesson in business. Today was one of those days.

As with anyone who has cut their professional teeth working in hospitality, ours revolved around food plans.

 

We had planned on grabbing breakfast treats at our favorite food truck, but they were closed. Heartbroken, we pivoted and upgraded our standard coffee order at Starbucks to include some pastries.

 

Then, it was time for lunch. We had planned on our standard burrito order at the local taco joint, but heartbroken at the unseasonably warm temperature, we pivoted and ordered take-out salads instead.

 

Before we knew it, the afternoon was yawning in front of us. We thought it would be nice to get a sweet treat at McDonald’s since the local DQ had closed (talk about heartbreak…that’s another story for another day). After waiting in a long line, I turned away after being told their ice cream machine was down. Heartbroken, I called Dayna to inform her that I was coming back “a failure” when just then, I spied Burger King, “do you think they have ice cream?” I asked Dayna “go find out!” she said.

 

This post is not a lesson on where to get the best food in town, nor is it a poster child for healthy eating choices. What this IS, is a beautiful lesson learned in having the flexibility, the willingness, and the stamina to be able to pivot on a moment’s notice (and on an empty stomach, too!).

 

Cheers to all of you small business owners who are out there giving it their all every single day. May you enjoy the sweet soft serve helping of success like we did today!