“...We are born to befriend rain,
to recognize the personality of wind,
to thrill to the magic of stone,
to wonder at the power of oceans,
to marvel at the aroma of plants and
to find cousins in ants, owls and moon faces.
Why not exist to sing gratitude songs to the earth
because of the gratitude she inspires...
why not flame the love of life within the natural world...
Why not be educated by beauty... ”
My happy place is the Hawaiian beach along the grand Pacific Ocean. Whether the waves are crashing on the shore or gently lapping, it is a place where I feel I can truly breathe. My pores open and soak up the salt sea spray and the negatively-charged ion space revivifies me.
The whole environment feels so much a part of me and I a part of it. I feel the cool, wet shifting sand beneath my bare feet. The sand massages and pumices away my callouses and cracks. The cool-cold water invigorates my body’s immune system. It’s the source of all my wellness.
The cooing of the doves in the thick keawe – mesquite trees – caresses my eardrums. The warm humidity and trade winds – gentle breezes – rustle through the palm trees – tall, stately and graceful. Memories of childhood are still there waiting for my return, though my body is not as energetic and supple as it used to be.
I am happy there – at peace – enjoying just being as I sit at the old, wooden picnic tables underneath clear blue skies remembering when we’d sit there – my parents and I - enjoying nature and each other. It’s a different pace than the one at home or at work. Being at the beach meant slowing down, savoring life. Swimming, going for a walk, playing cards, lying on a beach towel and feeling the soft sand under my back, the hot sun on my front.
The healing sea water can cleanse you of any jumbled energy that really doesn’t belong to you – if you sit and lounge in it for at least 20 minutes it just takes confusion away. You come out of the water transformed. Or maybe you come out as who you really are without all the unnecessary clothing and armor you’ve put on. You can get closer to your heart of hearts.
Can any other place help me get to my happy place? Yes. I recognize it during my silent meditation retreats where I can start understanding what I’m holding on to, honor it, and then gently let go. Then I can be at a place of ease of being, okay and satisfied with who I am, and able to serve others.
The sun at the beach works magic with the sea. A relaxed body-mind at ease with life as it is. Able to look at difficulties that arise like a puzzle. Curious, not sure how it all fits together, gently persistent, until it all comes together.
Our basic human nature is compassion. It is part of the earth and all the elements. Can we honor this compassion with gratitude and generosity no matter what? Can we say YES to life and truly dance from our hearts?
Mahalo nui loa and malama pono (take good care of body, mind and heart),
June Kaililani Ryushin Tanoue
Kumu Hula, Roshi
P.S. Here's a talk I gave in early December at Sunday Morning Zen entitled, "Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World" https://youtu.be/Dx6qXIztSE8