I recently got back from a trip to Hawaii and it never fails that the minute I board the plane to come back home, I feel hoka (pronounced: hoh-kah) or disappointed. With every trip, it gets harder and harder to come home. 

As I mentioned in last week’s post, I do a lot of thinking as I watch sunsets on the beach. My last night in Hawaii this past trip, I did a lot of thinking as to why I feel so hoka everytime I leave Hawaii. First, the air…I take a deep breath and feel the unpolluted air fill my lungs…the ocean: the sound of the water that seems to calm me the minute I hear/see it…the people: living the aloha spirit and sharing it with everyone (and making me a better person by following their example)....the pace of life: so much slower than the intense feeling here in Silicon Valley. Maybe I’m just realizing as I get older, that really, what I’m looking for is a much calmer existence and that the true value of life is in the simple things.

What makes you feel hoka when you leave Hawaii?

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