Hawaii: Day 5; Waimea Falls & The North Shore

Everything up until today has been nothing short of amazing, I mean I have seen so many beautiful places, and done so many fun things, but today by far has been the best. Today we visited Hale'iwa, Hawaii's historic North Shore. Which was completely prefect for me, it is a beat nic beach town with pro surfers, artists, great little resteraunts and the best shave ice you can find. I was completely at home here. I like Honolulu but it is a large city, and I have the city at home, what I don't have at home is what I experienced today.

Waimea Falls was out first adventure, a 3/4 mile hike to a waterfall and we were the first ones there. There are no words to describe the lush green of the forest that we walked through to get to the waterfall. Everthing was surreal, I would go back to Hawaii just for the purpose of this park. Swimming in the waterfall was probably the best part, I've never experienced anything like it. The sky was clear blue, the mountains were all around and the forest stood like a canopy overhead. This place was EVERYTHING that I loved about Hawaii, quiet, peaceful, and natural.

After Waimea Falls we visited this great resteraunt called Breakers. Our waiter talked just like a surfer but he was really sweet. Everyone there was just really nice. I talked to another guy in a shop I went in who had actually heard of Lansing because his Kung Foo instructor taught there sometimes. Then following that we went to the Best Shave Ice place in the world, M. Matsumoto's Shave Ice. I wasn't expecting it to be as good of it was, but it defintely lived up to the hype.

So today I have realized two things, make that three. 1)That despite how much I hate arrogance, it would appear that I myself am arrogant. 2)That I am not above pressure. 3) That I am not about being homesick.

 I used to think that if I were to go away somewhere, that I would be so absolutely grounded in my faith that nothing would make me waiver in anyway. I believe that I was untouchable to any pressure that people might put on me to "conform." I have probably even looked down on people who have conformed under pressure. But now I see very clearly that it is not an easy thing to be somewhere far away from the people who know you best, far away from the people who believe the same things you do, and still keep to what you know. Walking in faith out of your comfort zone is not an easy thing, and I'm not sure there is a perfected way to prepare for it, but I feel like it's is something that all of us have to go through at some point.

Another misconception that I've had is that it should seem such an easy thing to leave home and live somewhere else. I would look at people who go to away and get so homesick that they need to come home and almost be resentful. I saw it as, you have this great opportunity to leave the nest! To grow up and be on your own, WHY in the world would you give that up. I now realize, that it is not as simple as that. It is a major adjustment to be away from something that has been possibly 18 or even 18+ years in the making. You build a way of life that you are comfortable with. With people that you are comfortable with. And then before you know it you are starting from scratch. This experience has really changed my thinking on leaving home, when it comes down to it, I know that it won't be as easy as it once seemed.

For thinking all of this, I have found myself to be arrogant. I was too pompous to really believe that I was anything less than invincible. But I am glad to have come to these realizations. I'm glad that I know now, that I am not invincible.