pale blue dot

We woke up tucked into crisp white sheets, the sun shining brightly through windows that revealed a paradise, and everything was bathed in blue. An impossibly vibrant blue that even summertime Seattle skies and waters cannot rival, a blue so beautiful that we were lulled from the comfort of our fluffy bed, and into the deep.

This secluded beach in Napili that our airbnb house was situated on, saw only four or five people at this time of morning: us, and a few on the sand, watching the waves crash or overdosing on Vitamin D. Wasting no time, we waded into the water, and with our snorkels, we dove in and reveled in the silence as we swam and explored. Secretly, all we were searching for was the Honu, and as much for them as for the wonder and excitement we felt when they were near.

We swam against a current that was steadily picking up, and floated — sometimes begrudgingly — wherever it took us. Alex was off somewhere trying to stay underwater for as long as possible to get shots with the camera, and I was several tens of yards away, alternating between floating on my back and swimming around with a snorkel on to see what I could see. Words couldn’t capture the mood, or the sights, or the feeling. We were off in our own little worlds, swimming in the vicinity of each other but still alone, swimming along with our own schools of tiny fish — and it was just fine by me. Time passed slowly and serenely, then, a voice shouting over the waves: “Dude, they’re here!” The sea turtles; they had finally returned. I quickly breaststroked to where I met up with Alex near the rocks. We were all alone, not a swimmer in sight, now sharing a tiny portion of the ocean with a beautiful and curious honu. It swam above, under, beside, and towards us (which caused one of us to shriek) — seemingly unfazed by our presence — and armed with a camera strapped to Alex’s head, we managed to capture it in all of its splendor. With the surf getting even rougher, and the waves pushing us all ever-closer towards the rocks in shallow water — not to mention each other — we accidentally ended up getting close enough at some points for startlingly clear shots of our reptile friend. It was a treat that came at the price of some scrapes, and was well worth it. Swimming with this gorgeous animal was an incredible way to spend a morning.

When the sea turtle departed, we finally would, too. The sky was grey and heavy now, and the once warm water was quickly becoming glacial. We took my chattering teeth and shaking as our sign to head in, and rode the waves back to shore. We frantically wrapped up in turquoise and white towels knowing that we’d be back later in the fiery heat of the afternoon, seeking the feeling of the icy water that we were currently running from. I was focusing intently on my steps as I padded over the rocks back up to the house, trying to ensure that I wouldn’t slip (I had a bit of a mishap several days before and paid the price), when I was interrupted by these three thoughts:

1. In a survival situation on a mountain or in the ocean, I’d be the first to die of hypothermia.

2. (a major gear change) The universe certainly smiled down upon me when I found Alex, and I’m lucky to be able to go to such lovely places and do extraordinary things with someone who is my best friend.

3. Life sure is wonderful, amazing, and endlessly beautiful on this pale blue dot of ours.

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As always, friends, I’ll soon be back with more. I like posting on a more regular basis — there’s a lot to talk about — be it vacation, or puppies, or amazing days at work, or how I can’t make my pizza taste exactly like my mom’s (it’s a serious, serious problem). If you’d like, you can check out our flickr page to see the photos from this post, and more. Talk to you soon!