Once in Maui, two girlfriends and I set out to find a quiet beach for the day. Not a touristy beach crowded with families, honeymooners and the smell of coconut suntan lotion, but a small private patch of sand where we could talk and connect with Mother Nature. We hopped into our rental car at 11:00AM. Without an itinerary, we wanted to rely on our natural instincts, and of course, Maui’s resident volcano Goddess, Pele, to show us the way.

After passing all the familiar beaches, we continued along the main road, stopping at various spots. Some of these were quite picturesque with crashing waves hitting jagged black lava rock, however, not exactly what we had in mind. As our journey progressed, the wide, flat double-lane highway turned into a single-lane, broken tarred road with hairpin turns leading up a mountain. At 5MPH, we had to honk the horn around each turn to alert possible drivers coming in the opposite direction. Yes, a bit treacherous, but highly worth the breathtaking ocean and cliff views. After a couple of hours, our stomachs were grumbling from the winding road and our mounting hunger. One friend remembered that this was the road that led to a small town where an old woman sold homemade banana bread from a roadside hut. Nothing (except maybe chocolate) could have been a better incentive for three Goddesses to continue onward and find that banana bread lady!

An hour and a few dozen switchback turns later, we found her—a Hawaiian native with island hair and an ear to ear smile looking as if she had been waiting for us all along! We devoured the banana bread and conceded that it was the best banana bread we had ever tasted—warm, moist, spicy and sweet. When we asked our hostess if we should turn back, she recommended we continue on the same road since we were more than half way around the mountain, and the road would eventually circle back to the beach.

With happy, full tummies, we headed out. Finally, after several towns, the road took one last curve, leading us back to blue water. At 4:00PM, we noticed a small beach covered with trees growing out of the sand that were bent towards the ocean at unusual angles. We settled into that secluded beach, swam in the crystal clear ocean, gave each other Tarot card readings, and soaked up the sun until 5:30PM when we had to leave. Imagine our surprise when we arrived at the hotel ten minutes later! We had traveled most of the day looking for the perfect beach, only to find it ten minutes from where we started. Yes, sometimes what you’re looking for is right under your own nose, but that beach would have never looked and felt as good had we found it in ten minutes. We would have missed the journey—beautiful scenery, intimate conversations, and yes...the best banana bread in the world! Maybe Pele really was leading us.

Regardless of your destination, it’s the journey that gives it meaning.

5 Ways to Enjoy The Journey:

• On family car trips, take time to stop along the way to absorb the scenery or the people.

• When you set a goal in life, accept and enjoy any and all roads that lead to it.

• When you reach a goal in life, reflect upon the lessons learned in your journey and appreciate what you’ve accomplished.

• Keep a daily journal and read past entries. They will answer your questions about why things happened when they did.

• When a difficult situation takes you “off-track”, stay in the present, knowing this too shall pass.

Excerpted from the book: The Goddess of Happiness, A Down-to-Earth Guide for Heavenly Balance and Bliss

Debbie Gisonni, aka The Goddess of Happiness™, is an author (The Goddess of Happiness: A Down-to-Earth Guide for Heavenly Balance and Bliss and Vita’s Will: Real Life Lessons about Life Death & Moving On), speaker, happiness expert and columnist for iVillage.com. Contact: http://www.goddessofhappiness.com

Copyright, All Rights Reserved, Debbie Gisonni

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