I eventually had a strong sense of needing to move from the mountains and the high New Mexico desert towards the water. Debilitating allergies seemed to be kicking me out of a dry climate and a nest I had called home for 12 years. At age 35, I went to Hawaii to absorb the ocean, moving very far from family and other devotees on my spiritual path . . . to find a deeper Home within.
Leaving the Nest to Fall and Eventually Fly
Moving to Maui was a powerful transition, and with a one-way ticket I left the home I’d known. This culture so rich, the land and the growth and thriving life here are incredible. And I had a lot to learn about being so far from family and friends. It was full of challenges.
My work with Hospice Maui and this island have served my soul. It’s been said, ‘we teach what we most want to learn’. Being an advocate for hospice and doing community outreach and education here as well as in Honolulu for a couple of years has been an incredible education on speaking up about what matters most to me in my work as well as in my life.
It is an honoring of the sacred last phase of life that has been pushed away and out of sight in our culture. Increasing death awareness and lessening the denial surrounding death were important goals for me, and amidst such lush and thriving life on this majestic island of Maui, I was able to find my voice.