Successfully Avoiding Anything Planned
Tag Archives: Oahu
Camping @ Bellows Beach
I’m not what one would call an outdoorsman. I mean sure I could grow out my beard, wear flannel and carry an ax with the best of them but I’d probably fall over backwards trying to chop down a tree. I’ll leave the wood chopping’ to the pros. Can’t say I’ve ever been much of a camper. Camping reminds me of poison ivy. Poison ivy reminds me of the time I thought I had acne on my nose and used an oxy pad all over only to wake up the next day with my eyes swollen shut and entire face enflamed in itch. It wasn’t acne. Spent the next two weeks of that summer soaking my head in oatmeal baths and yelling at that Quaker guy on the label. What are you smiling at with your big hat!? To this day I can’t look him in the eyes without scratching my cheeks.
Solitude on the North Shore
I used to only associate the word solitude with monks and monasteries. Silent retreats where you sleep in a small room with nothing more than a bible and a view of deer sipping from a babbling brook. And that somewhat depressing painting of a white-bearded man praying over soup. Solitude sounded more like getting punished for staying out after curfew than a spiritual practice.
I’ve come to understand solitude as simply time set aside to recharge. An observance that promotes rest, peace, and renewal. It sounds so easy, yet I often neglect my need for it. It doesn’t have to be quiet or involve wearing a brown hooded tunic, as nice as it’d be not to have to choose your clothes everyday. Continue reading