A grain of sand on the beach of life...Who are we?

These lipstick plants are growing on the grounds of this resort.

Nothing in life is static. No state of being is guaranteed.  All we know for certain is tomorrow a new day will dawn and tonight a sun will set.  Even that eventuality is in question by scientific predictions in millennium to come or sooner.

When we hear of new planets emerging within our range of perspective at the edges of our universe, our earth becomes small and insignificant in the vast expanse of "forever," a place none of us in this lifetime will ever know.

How do we grasp a news report such as this:

"A rocky Earth-sized planet that circles a small, nearby star could be the most important world ever found beyond the solar system, astronomers say.
The planet lies in the constellation of Vela in the southern sky and is close enough for telescopes to observe any atmosphere it has, a procedure that could help spot life on other planets in the future.
Named GJ 1132b, the alien world is about 16% larger than Earth, and at 39 light years distant, is three times closer than any other Earth-sized rocky planet yet found around another star. At that distance, it is hoped that telescopes will be able to make out the chemistry of its atmosphere, the speed of its winds and the colours of its sunsets."


Savusavu Harbour.

As we simpletons scour the world, the earth, enraptured by its endless wonders along the way, we are in awe of earth's natural evolution leaving some of the most exquisite scenery in its wake.  Imagine all the millions of years that no humans were on this earth to even know it was there. 

With predictions that human life as we know it, from a scientific perspective, has populated the earth for a mere 200,000 years is a "drop in the bucket" in time, a single grain of sand on a beach. 

As the earth has further populated, each one of us has become a grain of sand on another beach of impossible calculations.  How many are there now?  How many have there been and how many are there yet to come?


Sailing is popular in the Fijian Islands.

And, within our own limited field of vision, we deem ourselves significant and meaningful.  Collectively, we matter.  Individually, we must seek the power of the masses to hope for change and progression. 

Its easy to hide away in our own self imposed universe, in our geographic sphere reaching out only to that which is readily available within our grasp.  Is it human nature that we tend to cocoon in a limited space and time?

Oh, as I ponder these thoughts, as I write a meaningless timeline of a day in the village as in yesterday's post, I'm reminded of how infinitesimal our own world becomes in our ambitious desire to see as much as the world as we can as the clock ticks loudly and annoyingly.  How much time do we really have to complete this journey?  And what, within this realm, are we really doing?


A creek with rafts used for transporting locally grown produce and for fishing.

I don't know the answer to either of these questions which in itself is a further reminder of how little power we each have in this world.  The mystery.  Is it wrought from a sense of spirituality or simply hard facts?  It remains to be seen in this lifetime.

As we continue to explore the significance of every creature on earth and its interrelated purpose, it easy to assume us humans are at the head of the food chain and yet, life emerged long before we were here. 

The cycle of life and the food chain is magical.  Every creature's design is magical and none of this could happen from an explosion of planets, remnants evolving into planets, remnants evolving into earth. 


We always preferred motorboats over sailboats.

A power, a spirituality beyond our comprehension created this magical life on this planet and as we travel we witness the vast array in which each population has formed their own perception of "who" and "what" this may be.  They call it religion, faith and spirituality in a manner they can most easily grasp and incorporate into their beings.

We don't choose to see ourselves as self serving individuals lost in a sea of "vacation," "holiday" and travel options.  We see ourselves, all of us, you and us, as on a long journey of personal discovery in pursuit of the answers to our own relevant questions, whether we travel the world or sit back in an armchair, hoping to find answers, if not in this lifetime but perhaps in the next.

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Photo from one year ago today, November 14, 2014:



We enjoyed the time we spent in Maui, in a quiet out-of-the-way area of Maalaea Beach which offered plenty of sightseeing, easy shopping, beautiful scenery and the ocean outside our door.  For more details, please click here.