by Jamie Menutis

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Jamie Menutis

Kaua'i, HA, USA - Mankind spends a lot of time in its own self-exaltation. We are always celebrating and praising the talents of one person or another. We are, after all, a unique accomplishment. Humans are the animals that think and possess consciousness. We are also the simultaneous co-creators and destroyers of this planet. A powerful lot, or at least we've become accustomed to telling ourselves.

In my hometown of New Orleans, local citizens take pride in what is seen as refinement made in cuisine, music and a playful way of life. New Yorkers pride themselves on their creativity and arts and Washingtonians their political savvy. We study, practice and refine. We are intent on becoming masters of our chosen domains, whatever they may be.

We inspire, plan, strategize, buy property and set goals. And in doing all of this, we give heady congratulations to our own successes and experience inner sorrows when we fall short. We compare our lives to each other's and we bask in our own personal earthly victories. I'm not saying we should feel bad about our tendencies to do these things. Some of these are good things and essential for mankind's evolution. And unless you've dropped out completely, there are few people who can escape life within this realm.

But what if, just if, there is something else, something of equal importance that we have forgotten?

I recently went to Kaua'i in the Hawaiian Islands.

My soul had been yearning for something more. But like all else within me, my yearnings had become comfortably accustomed to getting pushed into a perfect corner somewhere, so that I could deal dutifully with all else before me. Recent times had shaped a new life for me, complete with divorce, single motherhood, a change of career and a move.

These types of life changes are usually equated emotionally with the death (not birth) of someone you love. I had spent the last three years in mourning and I now found myself, at last, on the other side of those emotions. Those of you who've gone through this experience in life will know exactly what I mean. There is another side.

My brother and sister-in-law had spent their honeymoon some years back on the Island of Kaua'i in Hawaii. My sister-in-law had made a point of telling me how Kaua'i was the type of place that she thought that I would really love. She described it as the most beautiful of the Hawaiian islands, also the least touristic. The fact that she saw me fitting in and enjoying myself there was all I needed to begin planning my voyage West.

Kaua'i is part of the Hawaiian Island chains and one of the oldest island formations on earth. For this reason and also its sheer beauty, it has become know as a spiritually significant place for personal pilgrimages and healing. My initial impression when arriving in Kaua'i was that I was in a complete paradise, one that resembled some dreamlike place like Fiji or Tahiti that I had loved to imagine visiting.

A petite island formed by an ancient volcanic eruption, Kaua'i is a mere 33 miles in width and it is absolutely one of the most beautiful places on this earth. Actually, the word beautiful doesn't even begin to describe Kaua'i. Breathtaking is more like it.

There is something very powerful at work on the Island of Kaua'i. The locals know it and so do some of the visitors. And though I would like to tell you exactly what it is, I cannot find words to describe Kaua'i's true power. Kaua'i has a natural energy all its own.

The evenings are full of only natural sounds and the skies plentiful with stars and visible constellations. A powerful wind blows throughout the Island steadily during the daylight hours and transforms into even more passionate winds throughout the night. The sound of the wind transforms during the night as it fiercely whips across palm branches and raindrops at will. Sometimes the wind is so powerful it sounds like thunder and has the power to awake you even from the deepest sleep.

From my Lanai each evening I could witness an all-encompassing sky unlike any other I had known highlighted by winds that swept around me and reminded me that I was totally alive.

And at this point we come back to the idea of Kaua'i as a place of healing. As humans, there is no way to heal or progress forward from our past pains or issues unless we are openly and clearly aware of what those issues may be. Kaua'i in all of its raw natural beauty and rage, forces us to come face to face with our true selves. I was hit at once with the dual notion of my life's transience and also importance. Every single experience of my life, both painful and joyful, was a gift and something to be thankful for. There is no such thing as regret or accident. We are here to learn and experience life on every level.

I had not gone to Kaua'i I with the expectation of doing anything other than swimming, relaxing and writing. But Kaua'i had other things in mind for me. I believe that like most humans I tend to behave in my life according to my past experiences-even when the present has nothing to do with that other time. I also live within the rules of society, though I hold little belief in mankind's governing bodies (governments, political movements and religions) Kaua'i made me see life with new eyes and though such ideas are nothing new, on Kauai I truly came to understand what they could mean. I also came to feel reasserted in the notion that each of our lives was unique and ours alone to sculpt. The ability to sculpt mine as I pleased was a privilege. We are all a part of the Universe with everything that we create and experience.

In Kaua'i there is a respect and reverence that both ancient and modern Hawaiians share for the powers of nature. One has only to spend a day or two on the Island to realize that man's powers will never exist without those of mother nature and not vice-versa.

Kaua'i has one of the world's most beautiful beaches on its Southern shore. It is not advertised in guidebooks and is only accessible by hidden trail. There are cliffs and lagoons and seals and turtles that rest on that beautiful beach. I walked upon a lava trail atop a canyon covered by clouds that dropped straight down to the Pacific. On this canyon top I felt as though I was on top of the world. I also rode horseback along a trail that went up cliffs and stared down upon gorgeous crashing waves.

Kaua'i has dark open caves by the sea on its Northshore and ancient hula ritual spots in its mountains. Many worshippers still leave offerings there today. Early Zen and Buddhist worshipers were so inspired by Kaua'i, they built temples here. The smell of orchids and plumeria fills the air and the countryside is lush with coffee plantations and guava orchards.

There is not one man-made thing in Kaua'i that is ugly or disruptive to its beauty. The residents have made sure of that. Even resorts are invisible along the roadsides with most being built down lush green pathways and only at restricted heights. The waves in Kaua'i are immense and only the best surfers need apply. Natural reefs exist in varying areas along the island shore making outstanding snorkeling and swimming possible.

Hawaiian farmers bring their produce to farmers' markets around the island. At these markets you can buy Hawaiian ginger, cinnamon fruit, star fruit, mangoes, pineapples, lychee nuts and many other tropical fruits and vegetables. And of course, there are a number of fish markets where you can buy Mahi Mahi, Ahi, Ono, Weke and just about every other type of local fresh seafood. There are great restaurants of all types on Kaua'i and for all budgets. You can also see waterfalls and tropical gardens and a natural waterspout that shoots out of an ancient lava tube. During winter months, there is whale watching. But sometimes doing nothing at all, is best.

Even though I wasn't the only person on the Island, there was this inexplicable feeling that this was mine to experience alone. The beauty of the island brought me closer to something other than the ordinary, and in doing so, transformed my psyche and my soul. It spoke to me and let me know that all is going to be ok, and not just ok, but outstanding.

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JAMIE MENUTIS is a native of New Orleans and the co-author of Where the Natives Feast in New Orleans ... .A Secret Guide to Local Restaurants. Ms. Menutis has worked as a Researcher on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC and with the United Nations in Vienna, Austria and Nairobi, Kenya. She recorded Human rights abuses in five countries in West Africa for the US Refugee Resettlement Office and worked as a UN Liaison Officer in Nairobi and an Education program Manager in Somalia. Ms.Menutis has a BA from Webster University in International Studies and an MALS in International Relations from Georgetown University.