I’m not sure what happens when we land on this small piece of land in the middle of the Pacific, but something definitely shifts. None of us is the same. Here’s a list of how life on Island is somewhat different than mainland living:

1)      Crawl into bed near midnight

2)      Wake up at dawn, without an alarm.

3)      Feel motivated without being driven.

4)      Treat inchworms, grasshoppers and geckos as pets.

This Grasshopper Helped Us Cook Dinner Stovetop

5)      Wear less clothing and no makeup.

6)      Live with red dirt-covered feet.

7)      Buy fish fresh off boats from the people who caught it.

8)      Laugh hard and easily.

9)      Jump into waterholes and cascading waterfalls.

Dad and Daughter Swim a Loop Beneath the Falls.

10)   Ride on boats and busses.

11)   Eat mangos everyday. Sometimes twice a day.

12)   Admire common island flowers and insects.

Orchids Hanging in Our Hiking Path.

13)   Swim in the Pacific every day, sometimes with turtles.

14)   Write, write, write, write.

15)    Spot rainbows and double rainbows above us.

Almost Daily This Rainbow Arched over Us.

16)   Drink juice from the heart of green coconuts.

17)  Blink at beauty to remember it’s real.

18)   Dice fresh salsa with ingredients from island trees.

Homemade Pineapple Salsa Atop Ocean Fresh Ahi.

Sooner than we realize we’ll be sitting in recycled air for five and half hours en route to the mainland. I can’t say I’m looking forward to it, but I’m grateful our lives back home are filled with goodness, joy, family, and friends.

My boy says: I miss my guitar.

His sister says: I miss my friends. My best best best best friends the most!

I feel the truth of everything.