One week. 8 days. That's it. We're done. How could it have gone so fast? This trip to Kauai, one that we've taken every year for the past four years, is not an escape. It is a chance to plug in. Each one of us comes alive here and each day we find ourselves fully engaged in something, from swimming, to hiking, to cooking, to surfing, to exploring, to connecting. It's as though there is a clean slate before us, no stress, no smog, no daily routines, just an abundant green island filled with possibilities. Each time we leave, I feel like we've left no stone unturned. And this year was no exception. Each night we fell into bed, and the night rains lulled all of us into a coma-like sleep.
As I write this, Matt snores next to me, everyone is asleep. I'm struggling to keep my eyes open. The kids played in the ocean until the sun crept down, and even then they wanted more. My children are always at the beach at home, that is true. But here they absorb the wildness, the raw, rough, exquisite emerald that is this place. Here there is a chance for them to be children in a world where everything moves way too fast.
I'm always trying to find opportunities for them to do the same at home, but it's hard. There's so much to get in the way. So we'll keep returning here, and I'll keep hoping that one day they'll know how lucky they've been.
