Friday, May 17, 2014
Well, my last journal entry told of just arriving here on Maui, getting settled in for the summertime, and deciding how to spend our first full day at our home away from home. All I remember of that day was a feeling of gratitude.
Although I don’t mean for it to come off as such, this may sound a bit arrogant. I’ve worked hard all my life to achieve a certain place in the world. I’m proud of my accomplishments, and I’m grateful to be in a position where I feel like I can live life to its fullest without distraction. I try to make it a practice to spend a bit of time every morning in a place of gratitude. There’s no place on earth where I feel that gratitude more than when I’m here at our Sugar Cove home on Maui's North Shore.
There’s something about oceanfront living that seems to heighten that gratitude; something I don’t feel back home on the mainland. I read not too long ago an article by environmental psychologist Mathew White that people who live closer to the coast report better health; that the seaside environment reduces stress and encourages physical activity. I can speak from experience: he’s right. I can feel the stresses of everyday life melt away every time we come here. I can feel the effects of the fresh ocean air in my lungs. I notice with great clarity how much more efficiently my mind and body work after having settled in for a few days. With all the wonderful fresh foods, awe-inspiring beauty, opportunities to play gently or play hard, I’m 100% convinced that I add years to my life every time we come back.
My morning gratitude begins with a sunrise. I try to wake up before dawn and just wander out onto the beach all alone. After all, it’s just 40 steps from my lanai. (Side note: I’m still in awe that, in today’s busy world, there’s such a thing as an empty beach in Hawaii. I can’t remember the last time I saw another soul on this beach at sunrise). Even well into the day, there are times that I’m the only person on the beach.
Some mornings I feel like strolling along the secluded beach. Some mornings I try to jog right where the water and sand meet. Other mornings, I just sit on a beach towel - on the lush green lawn that I don’t have to tend to - and do nothing but enjoy freshly picked papaya and mango while I watch the sun come up. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to realize that all of this is real…that this home is mine…that I earned the right to be here.
Anyhow, enough of all that ethereal reflection. We’re low on supplies. I’ve got to head into Costco, Whole Foods and Target as soon as they open. I’ve got to stop by the surf shop on Dairy Road to pick up a few things to prepare for another energizing day out on the water right outside my back door. Can’t do those things back home bound by landlocked, bumper-to-bumper freeways full of stressed out worker bees.
Whoever came up with the tag line that says, “Sugar Cove. Life is sweeter here” was certainly right. Grateful to own and live here. I truly am.
----------------
Now your opportunity to own at Maui's Exclusive Sugar Cove is here. See more about this rare, beautiful, maintenance-free home at http://www.MauiSugarCove.com. Call or text me at 808-205-2175 to schedule a private showing, or you can drop me a line: RhondaMauiHi@gmail.com.
With aloha,
Rhonda Smith-Sanchez, R(S) 73936
Coldwell Banker Island Properties
808-205-2175
RhondaMauiHi@gmail.com
http://www.MauiSugarCove.com
http://www.RhondaMaui.com
http://www.NorthShoreRegistry.com
No comments:
Post a Comment