Coming Home

Nearly a year ago I ventured to my spiritual home on this earth, Kauai. Anyone who knows me personally knows how important Kauai is to me, including my husband, which is why he so graciously supported my solo retreat to the island.

It was during this time last year that we were struggling with the city’s bureaucrats to acquire the necessary paperwork in order to begin renovating the vacant, dilapidated garage into our dance center. What should have taken two weeks to process took more than five months. Tensions were also high with our landlord, and since I am the person responsible for communicating with all the city officials and the landlord, I was completely overwhelmed.

So much of the situation was out of my control and that tortured me. Each time we thought we were about to move forward, we’d take a step back. I was forced to abandon my handy project timeline. It was getting through this process that I really began to understand the importance of “detachment.”

The stress and strain wore terribly on my spirit. It had been seven years since I left Kauai. I lived there for one year and it was the most amazing year of my life. It was the pinnacle of my spiritual quest that began during my junior year in college. When I left the island I honestly believed I would return within the year for a spiritual tune-up, but life seemed to get in the way. Returning home to the island last year was significant.

Before I left my dear friend Jill gave me a card with this poem on it. It meant everything to me during that time, and it still pulls at my heart strings every time I read it. I have it pinned up on the cubicle I sit in where I waste time every day. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

whenever we become discouraged, let us close our eyes and remember at time when we were not afraid to dream…

when we were small, we were all great artists, graceful dancers, storytellers. We composed songs, created paintings, and imagined great adventures.

we didn’t think about it too much—we just made things up as we went along, improvising whenever we got stuck…

and I want to remind you that even though you’re a “grown-up” now, you are still a creator at heart, an improviser, and inventor who can make beautiful things out of whatever life hands you.

whatever you dream, whatever you hope to achieve in your life, all you have to do is remember to trust your heart…

and trust that the answers have been a part of you all along.

- Jennifer Nomura

Quote of the day: “The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” —Bertrand Russell; Philosopher, Mathematician