It is said that those who travel to Hawaii are lucky.  But, those who call it home, by birth or adoption, feel a passion for these islands that is akin only to true love.  My own longing for Hawaii came 15 years ago.  I was bitten and utterly changed forever.  While it took 11 years to finally transplant my Sassy self to Maui, the islands thumped in my brain like an annoying buzz, telling me, “you don’t belong there girl, you belong to the islands now and until you listen real good to your true heart’s desire, you are gonna be miserable.”  The buzz was relieved only by my final plane ride from the mainland on August 2, 2014, with my little daughter in the seat next to me.  We couldn’t stop smiling at each other and felt a peace deep down inside ourselves like never before.

Fantasies of island life abound.  But, the reality is that living in paradise doesn’t solve all your problems.  Instead, it shines a light on them.  You can fall into the mindlessness of “to and fro”, shopping and cleaning, paying bills and staying in bed too much.  You can hide from your problems in Maui, as good as any place else, but leave just a few feet out the front door and it’s as if mysteries you have no answers to walk up and shake your hand and say, “So what’s the plan Mrs. Sassy Pants?”  Island life woke me up, little by little, than all of a sudden.  I’m not called Stella, though I wish I were, but this is the story of how I got my “groove back” and am still getting it back each day.  I don’t have all the answers.  Far from it.  But, I do have some clues.  This is my invitation for all groove seekers out there, around the world, to join me.  Let’ share and be real for each other.

Stay Sassy and Beautiful!