I got to relive one of my favorite travel experiences today: watching the sunrise from the summit of Mt Haleakala in Maui, a dormant volcano at an elevation of over 10,000 feet. It is impossible not to stand in awe. Start with a cold night, a pitch-black sky with more stars than you have ever seen in your life, and an unobstructed 360-degree view . The sky on the horizon starts to shimmer a pale gray color which steadily moves up and overhead east to west, snuffing out the stars along the way and leaving the sky somewhere between night and day. The sun is still not visible when the horizon becomes a flat ribbon of bright reddish light that illuminates your surroundings enough that you can suddenly see that you are at the edge of a volcanic crater, white clouds are below, nothing above you but open sky. The entire island of Maui is spread out before you in bright tropical green. 
Beyond that, the dark blue Pacific Ocean is massive. Finally, the first edge of the sun becomes visible – a glowing slice of orange fire. It is 92 million miles away yet you feel its gentle warmth immediately. Every bit of earth and sky around you changes color second-by-second until the sun is full. It is the most breathtaking nature scene that I have ever experienced and leaves me feeling peaceful and realizing my interconnectedness with all that is.
Besides wanting to experience that sunrise again, I came to Maui to help me shift gears in my life. I had been living in a waiting-mode for months while on the liver transplant list, not making any plans for the future because everything would grind to a halt when the call came in that a donor liver had been found. After being taken off of the transplant list, I knew that I had to shift into action because waiting to be cured by traditional medicine was no longer a realistic option – the cancer had grown too large and invasive. I had expected my doctors to guide me to healing, but suddenly I was left with the knowledge that it was not going to happen that way. A cure, if it can be found, would have to be sought out on my own. Maui seemed like a good place to start looking, and it has been. I have been waking in the mornings full of energy. I workout every day – spin, hike, yoga, then for the mind I read, write and take time to sit quietly and calm my mind. I feel strong and healthy, which definitely lends itself to optimism. So far, stage IV liver cancer has just been a great excuse to take a three week vacation in Maui. I feel full of life. If this pace keeps up, my Breathless Tour is going to keep me very busy traveling for the next year. But first, I will be returning to Los Angeles to continue my pursuit of alternative therapies -accupuncture, cancer-fighting foods, etc - and to visit friends. Regarding traditional medical treatment, my next move will be determined by the results of my CT scan scheduled for January 7.
Beyond that, the dark blue Pacific Ocean is massive. Finally, the first edge of the sun becomes visible – a glowing slice of orange fire. It is 92 million miles away yet you feel its gentle warmth immediately. Every bit of earth and sky around you changes color second-by-second until the sun is full. It is the most breathtaking nature scene that I have ever experienced and leaves me feeling peaceful and realizing my interconnectedness with all that is.Besides wanting to experience that sunrise again, I came to Maui to help me shift gears in my life. I had been living in a waiting-mode for months while on the liver transplant list, not making any plans for the future because everything would grind to a halt when the call came in that a donor liver had been found. After being taken off of the transplant list, I knew that I had to shift into action because waiting to be cured by traditional medicine was no longer a realistic option – the cancer had grown too large and invasive. I had expected my doctors to guide me to healing, but suddenly I was left with the knowledge that it was not going to happen that way. A cure, if it can be found, would have to be sought out on my own. Maui seemed like a good place to start looking, and it has been. I have been waking in the mornings full of energy. I workout every day – spin, hike, yoga, then for the mind I read, write and take time to sit quietly and calm my mind. I feel strong and healthy, which definitely lends itself to optimism. So far, stage IV liver cancer has just been a great excuse to take a three week vacation in Maui. I feel full of life. If this pace keeps up, my Breathless Tour is going to keep me very busy traveling for the next year. But first, I will be returning to Los Angeles to continue my pursuit of alternative therapies -accupuncture, cancer-fighting foods, etc - and to visit friends. Regarding traditional medical treatment, my next move will be determined by the results of my CT scan scheduled for January 7.
1 comment:
Inspirational and poetically written. Makes me want to journey to Maui, too.
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