I believe in callings. Particularly when it comes to a destination.
Hawai'i was not a place that I had dreamed of living. I dreamed about visiting. I made jokes about leaving everything and running away to an island, sure, who hasn't?
But I did not spend hours envisioning a life in Hawai'i and counting pennies in order to make the leap over to start a life here. That was not part of my plan.
I was called here. And then I received an invitation to stay. That is why I am here.
I think that we live in a society of travel culture now more than ever before. People justify traveling to a place because they have the means to, because they want to. We are attracted to a place, but maybe not necessarily called.
Have you ever driven down a street and passed by a house and thought, "Wow, that is a beautiful house, I wonder what it looks like on the inside, I bet it's amazing." Of course you have. But did you go inside?
I shouldn't assume to know, maybe you did go inside. But if you did, you probably knocked first. And then you probably waited to see if anybody was home. Then you waited for your invitation to go inside.
That's how I feel about this beautiful island I live on. I have witnessed many people barge through the door, simply because they paid to get in. These kind of people don't greet the owners of the house, all of a sudden forget their manners, take what they can, and don't leave the place better than when they found it.
It breaks my heart. But I am just as responsible as the rest of us.
Recently, I've had some people message me and tell me their planning on taking an exciting big trip soon! I've also had a few people ask me in admiration how I made the move to Hawai'i.
I didn't make the move to Hawai'i. God moved me here. And I wish I knew then what I knew now about respecting someone else's home as a visitor.
Don't be the kind of person who walks into someone else's home and tells them that you don't like the way the furniture is arranged or gives an unwanted opinion on what color the walls should be painted. Instead, ask questions about who is in the pictures on the walls and ask before you sit down at the table. Take what is offered and nothing more. Go into the house with the intention of giving what you can, even if that's just a polite thank you.
When you visit a place, try to remember that someone is from there. Someone, that is not you, is of that place. It is their home. Honor it as such.