Blog Assignment #2

“How do I identify myself?” To answer this question, and the ones ahead, I’ll have to tell a little background story. A year and a half ago, while all of my friends were going on their “after army trips” to South America, South East Asia, Europe etc., I went to volunteer in a non-profit yoga retreat center, located on the Big Island of Hawaii, called “Kalani Oceanside Retreat”. I initially went for only a month, just to check it out, and I ended up staying for almost a year. The Big Island in general, is known for its healing energies, having Pele, the goddess of the volcano protecting and guiding people towards their true path, by using “tough love”. “Kalani Oceanside Retreat”, means “heaven on earth”, and for more than 35 years, people from all over the world have been going there, to relax and heal the body and mind.  It was there, that I went through what some might call a spiritual journey, but I say I went through a period of self-exploration. I can talk about my attributes, my flaws and insecurities. But none of them really matter. I believe the most important thing is that I’m a person who strives to better himself each and every day.

I’ve learned that what makes me happy, and what I believe would make anyone happy, is being surrounded by love. Unconditional love. It may come from a partner, friends, family, or all of the above (hopefully). It’s what makes my days so much more meaningful. It was in Hawaii, that I accepted the roles that I play in my life, instead of trying to change them. I am a caretaker, a friend, a listener, a competent worker, and sometimes as many of us are, my own worst enemy. It was also in Hawaii, where the next story took place.

For a volunteer event, we set up an improvised and spontaneous fashion show, called the “Freebox Fashion Show”. The Freebox, is an area in the volunteer lounge where people “donate” their clothes and belongings to other volunteers. This was where most of the volunteers did their “shopping in the jungle”. So, the point of the fashion show, was to make an outfit out of whatever you find in the Freebox. It didn’t take too long, but my friends convinced me to dress up like one of my bosses did a few times, he’s an amazing yet very unique person. This entailed wearing a 3- inchheel, “S&M like” leather boots, a mini-skirt and a torn up shirt. I walked out on the walkway, trying to “work it”, feeling completely exposed and embarrassed, but after a few deep breathes, it was just a fun night.

The picture I attached was taken on the west side of the Big Island near Kona. Many people take fossilized corals and make use them to make words on the black lava rocks. We saw this while we were driving, and we could all completely relate to that saying, because of the environment we all lived in at the time.