Love was here.
Let me count the ways:
1. Aloha spirit from the Banyon Tree Sanctuary community -- underscore "sanctuary" and "community" -- starting with my very first communication with Rae.
2. Yoga on the lanai, with powerful wi-fi. Sitting on the comfy couch on the lanai every night, with a hot tea or Kona coffee, high above the treeline, looking out over ocean horizon, watching Heaven and Earth come together in a kaleidoscopic sunset. No pictures can possibly capture that moment.
3. Walking the farm slowly, stopping to consider the flowers and tree and other wonders that burst from the earth. Imagine a cross between Dr. Seuss, Peter Maxx art, and the Wizard of Oz movie set. Now you get the picture. Oh, and those sweet aromas. Don't miss the forest path leading to the Yellow Brick road path. There is, literally, a yellow brick road.
4. The power of the breath: the joy in the simple act of inhaling and exhaling the purest air as nature provides.
5. Maggie's morning smoothies, made of ingredients you know, and otherworldly fruits that grow right here on the farm; the energy from eating fruits and vegetables grown on the farm;
6. Entertainment and illumination courtesy of the BTS community: Ben's guitar and songs and kindness; Maggie's intuitive wisdom, book-shares, and daily inspirations; John's conversational skills and puns and dolphin art; Berto's "Renaissance Man" sharing of a broad range of ideas and the best Kombucha ever; the big hearts of the entire farm-stay community;
7. Joining the BTS community on a morning jaunt to the beautiful Garden of Eden beach, watching the guys entertain adults and children with some of the best juggling displays I've ever seen -- with jokes!
8. Awaking, naturally, to a symphony of sound and sunlight;
9. Untangling, with the aid of the sauna, pool, inversion swing, and "Mothership" room; watching movies on the big screen in the Mothership.
10. Connecting with the land -- the Aina -- letting go, allowing the Big Island to transform me into a stronger, healthier, more joyous version of myself.
Love was here.