If you weren’t aware yet…. aloha!
I indeed escaped to Maui for a spell once again, to recharge my batteries while enjoying an epic beach and pool retreat. This round, I will be on Maui, then visiting the much more remote island of Molokai for the first time, which will be exciting!
So complete rest first, then ending the stay with a little new adventure seemed like a good fit for where I currently was at when I left.
I’ve been desiring a complete scenery change to fuel up my senses again. Much like a reset button.
A little soul searching is transpiring during this visit. So I brought along some course material and a journal exercise so I could tap into life, desires and work a little deeper, which I’ll share more about soon.
I’ve just been desiring some changes to the way I inspire others online and am gravitating towards a more personal touch. An addition to the way things are already done, if you will.
The course material still sits though. Week one here turned into gathering my new bearings and saturating into the goodness of a little rest and relaxation.
I’ve noticed this trip that I’m ‘different’. I’ve ‘let go’ much quicker, so I guess the downtime was really required.
Or that may be due to having come here so many times, it simply feels like home and I have no need to rush to all 4 corners of the island to keep busy. This round, my backyard is a tropical plant and tree filled freshly groomed courtyard (that I don’t have to work at for a change) and my forest trails are miles of glorious beach! That is the beauty of an escape that is familiar.
Some asked if I missed my bike… I don’t, because I welcome the different things this place offers so I have my bike to look forward to once I return home. My son and cats are enough draw to get me home, but any added fuel certainly helps!
While I’ve desired downtime, I also enjoy writing. However lately, blogging done right has become intense. Posts loaded with all the right things (videos, affiliate links) are all part of earnings of course however they do take hours (plural) to produce. All good, that’s part of the profession.
However a part of me has always wanted to attempt a briefer way to write…
A good friend of mine HERE does journal writing, which is basically one picture with one thought process which shares his life or work so fluently with hidden teaching gems tucked in the writings. So I may try a few posts like that here and there as the desire strikes. Simple, to the point, and sometimes painfully authentic.
Can you handle a little real life thrown in?
Anyway, this ramble was to share where I was and why it’s been a little quiet on the blog front.
You can stay up to date through my Funky Junk Interiors on Instagram Stories HERE which I generally share clips of the daily stuff!
But if that’s not your thing, no worries… I’m also taking plenty of pictures to dig deeper into the special highlights of this current trip.
I’m hopeful that this trip will provide more than simply rest. I want it to change me, to wipe the slate clean, so I can once again produce from the heart in a super authentic way vs. what has become simply the thing to do on auto pilot.
Any ideas on what you’d like to see different from me? I’m all ears!
Anything you’d like to hear more about in Hawaii itself? Let me know!
In case you weren’t aware, I also enhanced the Hawaii section on my blog HERE… it shares how to choose an island, then what to do once there. I hope to add to the tips from this trip (and … ahem… the last one I never did complete!) too!
Anyway, my friends, my wish for you is to take a little time and get quiet this summer, so you too can tap into your inner heart and reinvent yourself in some small special way. It’s all a part of growth!
And until next time… mahalo!
Hi Donna,
Have a really relaxing, take it easy time ! Whatever you decide to share or write about, I’m. sure that it will be fun and interesting! I always love to read about you and your cats and your wonderful projects! You are a beautiful person inside and out and I hope that many wonderful things come your way.
Aww, thank-you Linda! Your kind words are very touching!
I’m grateful you enjoy to read what just comes your way. I don’t plan a thing, they are just everyday transpirings that hopefully bring something to the table for others.
I’ll be sure to continue about me, the cats and projects! Thank-you!
Love your blog, that is where I first discovered you. Now I mostly just follow your IG account.
You know, I dont know if this subject is more personal than you want to get get… but how about dating as an empty nester?. Would live to hear your thoughts on the subject…
Enjoy your vaca?
Hi Lisa!
No, not too personal at all. I’ve been a pretty open book with personal things on the blog here and there and if the desire to hear more about my own transpirings in this one is there, I can indeed share something on that. Although it may not be quite what you may expect! 😀
For me, this may be two topics… empty nesting and dating can be linked but they are great separate topics as well. Hmmm…
Thanks for the suggestion! It’s on the list.
Donna, enjoy your reset!
Love your ideas, pictures, etc!
Hang loose! \O/
T
Thank-you Terri! Hanging loose is one thing I know how to do right!
Thanks for the reminder that I don’t have to actually accomplish something ‘all the time’. Let go…. read a fluffy book… that may be in order for today.
Donna…so jealous of your closeness to the Islands..affordable to go often. Love to read about your adventures there. I have been to the Islands a couple of times years ago…love Maui.
I like coverage of all those unusual spots you find..cafe’s, stores, junk places and beach time. I am older now and not much for a public beach person these days..too crowded. We have beautiful beaches on Lake Michigan but they are used heavily. Peace and quiet, listening to the waves and watercolor painting or crafting would be my dream.
Happy you are enjoying the down time and would love to have you continue telling us about your adventures. Miss your cats too.
Eloise
Hi Eloise, so nice to hear from you!
I love highlighting quirky little finds from vacation spots too, so I’ll be sure to lug the camera around should I come upon a new sighting! I know Molokai will bring me LOTS of great new escapes being brand new so I’m really looking forward to that challenge!
One of my dreams sounds a lot like yours… hearing the lapping of the ocean or river while I work on a creative project on my front porch is high on the list. The vision flashed at me yet again today out of nowhere… but this time I was inside a white shiplapped cottage overlooking the ocean…
And yes… the cats. (I really miss them) I’ll have to learn how to take fast shutter pictures again so I can capture them as they move. Thanks for the new challenge! I’ve grown use to my camera on a tripod with a super low shutter speed which doesn’t work with constant movement.
Thanks for your suggestions!
I really wish we could chat over coffee…maybe one day my hubby & I will fly into Vancouver on our way home to visit and we can take you for lunch!
then we can really chat…one thing that comes to mind…
“get out of your own way”
about a month & half ago I could sense something. I knew a shift was happening…I had info wrote out for local photography teaching & kept hearing the words…community! I felt like this must mean I need to get back out into my community, but I wasn’t exactly sure.
I shared on my Insta stories that I felt that I needed to get out of my own way…over thinking, analyzing…you know the feeling.
Ideas came that I knew were…No Way…
and ideas that I thought were good.
A week after I said “I had to get out of my own way” an idea was passed onto me by a friend…she thought it was a good idea for me and without question I was ALL IN!
If you know me…that’s crazy! I like to think about things for a long time and find reasons why they won’t work…Lol! You know the rest of the story
sometimes we need to be quiet, listen to the whispers and when ideas surface
which ones truly feel good even if risky!
xo
Oh Jane, yes, give me a call if you’re in Vancouver! Maybe a little side trip out my way is in order… then we can really hunker down to a real visit!
I remember your ‘get out of your way’ musings. In fact, I had just listed all the things I could do that I haven’t done yet when an email popped in my inbox just today with one on my list… to write my story for a real book-book.
That could be the perfect homage to pay to my current home should I move one day… I am giving that one some serious thought!
And my heart, ears and eyes are wide open at this point. For anything.
Donna I know exactly what you mean about writing blog posts on auto pilot. I relished the rare posts where I got to talk about my life and what was going on as opposed to just sharing tutorials. I also was able to connect in a deeper way with my readers. I hope you find your authentic self and are able to come back with more inspiration and joy when writing future posts. I imagine after so many years it can get difficult. As long as you keep on sharing those gorgeous photos and your life with us through your projects (which is the only way to really do it) then I am more than happy.
So happy to hear that you’re back on the islands Donna you love and spending time finding you. I love your tutorials, stories, photos and good down to earth honesty. They’re all so inspiring for many different reasons. I would love to get inside your head, without being an intrusion, if that makes any kind of sense. You share so much, but it often feels like you’re giving more than taking. And if you do take, you do it softly so as not to hurt anyone. Please know that somewhere on the other side of the world there is someone who is rooting for you and whatever journey you decide to take. And I’m sure I’m not the only one. 100% sure. Fill your soul with what makes you truly happy and forget the rest. You are worth it!!
Pictures are beautiful!
Unreal !! I didn’t know you were in Maui I have been off social media a bit . I was in Maui also end of June beginning of July 7 days of per paradise … so serene. We did a lot in the mornings but saved the afternoons for nothing but beach and the pool . Funny thing is the least expensive thing we did was the best thing we did . For $5.00 the admission into the Lao state park was the best thing we did !!! Spent 3 hours in the park starting at 7:00am . God is Good when you experience that peaseful place . Hope you went there too !
maybe you no longer want to be funky junk but would rather be funky travelog.