What do you do when you are feeling ‘isolated’ or ‘lonely’?

Those words have been surfacing in my conversations over the past couple of months. Many people I have encountered recently in my daily life and throughout my travels have said they seem ‘lonely’ or ‘isolated’ - they feel disconnected from others.

On vacation in Hawaii – a spectacular natural ‘paradise’ – fellow tourists brought up the term. They said they felt ‘isolated’ because they were SO FAR AWAY from family and friends.

I disconnected from technology for a week and spent my days moving through: swimming in the pool, snorkelling in the ocean, walking on the many island beaches, and wandering around the towns and attractions. Saw turtles playing in the waves. Connected and had beautiful conversations with locals and tourists from all over the world. Rode the ocean currents on a catamaran, watching humpback whales enjoy the waters – especially a baby frolicking with its family. The sunrises and sunsets lit the sky. There were also some rain showers; but what I learned is that no rain = no rainbows.

Aloha! I’m back. Hope you all had a great couple of weeks. I had a refreshing vacation in Maui.

If you want to get inspired, you should visit the Hawaiian Islands. They have changed my life; they may change yours. We all have places that empower us. The Hawaiian Islands do this for me.  Maui has a special place in my heart; it is where I originally came up with the idea for my blog. So, I thought I should use my holiday as a chance to reflect on my blog, past and present.

This picture was taken in Maui at sunset. The quote is from The Band Perry's song "All Your Life."  It is such a romantic quote, and I thought it was fitting to the topic of relationships.  It makes me smile, so I'm sharing it with you.

I was talking about this song with a friend, and they were like," I want to fall in love with my best friend and grow old with him."  My sentiments exactly.  We were also talking about how every relationship always has a beginning (i.e., a story of how the couple met).  The stories can range from simple to quite elaborate.  Regardless of the complexity of the story, I always enjoy hearing how couples met and fell in love.  Each story is unique and special.

Thank you is such a small yet powerful statement.   It should be said more often.

I will never forget the time I went out to lunch with a couple of friends, and one of my friends treated us all.  After the meal, she remarked to me that some people weren't thankful for her treat because they didn't say "thanks" to her.   This situation sticks in my head to remind me to always say "thank you" whenever someone does something nice for me or helps me out in some way.