Kauai Family Vacation

This was our first vacation together since COVID. We normally go to Maui since I have family there but this time my mom wanted to take us to another island. She booked us a beachside cottage for the first part of the trip and a hotel for the second part. The cottage was perhaps the coolest place I have ever stayed at and I know she must have spent a fortune. I had the most incredible time in Kauai: surfing, cooking, ATV riding, zip-lining, eating out, and just exploring a foreign place with my family.

I have been taking family vacations in Hawaii since I was tiny. When I was a kid they were so common that they seemed routine and I took them somewhat for granted. I never appreciated any of my past trips quite like I did this one and it’s a direct result of my age. The smallest of gestures now affect me so much greater. And being more aware now of how short life really is, moments like this; time spent with my family like this are so much more valued and appreciated.

I am at the point of my life now that I sometimes think about getting older and life’s natural course. But I also realize that though I lose physically, I gain spiritually. I continue to grow in my sense of appreciation and gratitude for everything I have and all the people in my life. A big part of this is family, which is one of the core values of Pride & Joy: Taking pride in one’s family. And pride is simply the extension of gratitude.