A little over four years ago, I was blessed to spend four months at a reforestation sanctuary in the mountains of Hawaii called Ahu Lani. Ahu Lani roughly translates to heavenly shrine.

This was a time of so much growth and change for me. I was 26 years old, freshly out of grad school and in need of “figuring out” my life. Really, I needed to feel my hands in the dirt and re-connect to myself.

I lived in this beautiful place with four other people and the caretaker Dave, who oversaw the sanctuary and the reforestation work. Dave was a like a mentor to us. Just recently I went back to visit with my husband and son. Ahu Lani was for sale, which broke my heart a little, but I was so lucky to spend time with Dave and the owner John, walk the land, and plant a tree with my family.

Below is a photo of me in Hawaii at 26, young and free spirited. Then me visiting again at age 30, a mom and wife. So much has changed, and yet the core of who I am remains the same.

The lessons I learned during this time were invaluable, and I will carry them with me always.

1. That I am stronger and more resilient than I think.

We are all stronger and more resilient than we think. Some people like to test their strength — I was never one of those people. Going through trials and tribulations, moving forward in life, showed me my own power and resilience. When you are feeling weak, scared or sad, remind yourself that you are stronger than you think.

2. How wonderful a simple cup of tea and hot shower can be.

I spent, for some reason willingly, 24 hours in the woods with nothing but a tarp and a bottle of water. The other two girls and I decided to do this as sort of a ritual — it’s the inner hippie in me! We couldn’t bring a journal, a book, or anything else to pass the time. No food or shelter, and we had to stay within a 10 foot radius. Basically, I was alone with nothing but my thoughts and the trees. It rained all through the night and I was soaked and cold.

The next morning when we returned home, I remember feeling overwhelming appreciation for a hot shower and cup of tea. And these are things I have every day! I would love to feel that kind of gratitude for everything in my life. How lucky we are.

3. Punctuality.

Every weekday morning we had to be ready for work at 7:30 am. This was something Dave expected of us and made no exceptions for. Some people are good about being on time. Then there are people like me, who always leave a few minutes before they are supposed to be somewhere. I don’t know why I do it, it’s just been a habit. But then you end up rushing and feeling stressed when you get there! This was a great practice for me to learn to plan ahead and be on time. Because when you’re on time you are valuing yourself and the other person.

4. Kundalini yoga.

There was a beautiful, round yoga room at Ahu Lani decorated with wood and richly colored pillows and throws. It had a peaked roof and 360 degree windows with the amazing aroma of cedar. I loved this room. It was here that I learned Kundalini yoga from Ahu Lani’s owner, John. It is the practice called Yoga of Awareness. It gives you an experience of your soul, and harnesses the mental, physical and nervous energies of the body. I love it! I found an amazing video to do it yourself at home. In fact, I practiced this morning. It gives me so much energy!

5. The value of hard work.

Another thing I learned from Dave was the value of hard work. The best driver of hard work is a vision. Without vision, what is the point? Dave’s dream and vision was to turn the entire mountainside of Mauna Kea back into natural forest, which would improve the ecosystem and coral reefs. Because of this, he had high expectations for the work we produced. We had goals and quotas to meet for our work.

Some days, rather than planting trees, we wold do work around the house that needed to get done. I remember him asking me if I’d prefer to do something in the garden or fix the grill. Gardening is fun and easy, but fixing a piece of equipment, not my thing! However, I chose the grill. With his guidance I was amazed to learn that I actually could do it! It sounds like such a silly little thing, but I was extremely proud of myself. Because in my normal life it would be too easy for me to say “nah, I can’t do that”.

6. Getting up early.

I’ve always been a bit of a night owl. However, going to bed by 10 pm and getting up early (5:30-6:30 am) is actually better for our health and energy! In Hawaii I was able to get in touch with my natural rhythms. Exhausted from a hard day of work, I enjoyed my quiet evenings of making dinner, having conversation or reading a book. I was usually in bed early and practiced getting up at 5:30 am. That gave me time to do yoga, have a nice breakfast and be dressed and ready for work. I loved this time to myself in the morning. What a difference it makes versus getting up at the last minute, grabbing a bite to eat and rushing out the door!

7. The need for community.

I learned how to live within community here. While I love being around people, I need my space and alone time to recharge. Even as a kid, I would happily play by myself outside. At Ahu Lani there were six of us. It is not always easy living and working with the same people. Especially when you share things like food, bathrooms, etc. Everyone has different personalities and opinions. However, through this experience I learned how to better be respectful of other people, when to say no and when to say yes, and how awesome it is to have a community based on acceptance.

8. Giving thanks to our food and the Earth.

The Hawaiians have beautiful traditions and rituals. One that I love and will carry with me is giving thanks to our food when you sit down for a meal. It’s a practice of being mindful that a lot of work actually goes into your food, and that it comes as a gift from nature. Even give thanks to yourself for preparing the food, that’s not always easy either!

9. Living mindfully.

The biggest lesson I will take away from Dave is living mindfully and with awareness. Ahu Lani was completely off the grid, and Dave was passionate about being as sustainable as possible. This meant that thought had to go into everything we did, even simple things like washing dishes. Was there a way to save more water and still have clean dishes? You get the point. I remember one morning Dave letting us know that we had left the fan on in the living room the night before. This was a waste of energy. My friend Clayton responded, “honestly, if you asked me to draw a picture of the living room I don’t even know that I would have put a ceiling fan in it”.

There is so much in our surroundings that we remain unconscious to. Just look around and see how many people have their heads down on their phones. We are becoming a totally unaware society. And that’s a little sad. Think how much more you can appreciate when you are aware of your surroundings?

10. Perspective.

One morning in Hawaii I got an upsetting call from a past boyfriend of mine. That day we had planned to go into the sacred valley called Waipio Valley – the Valley of the Gods. But I was so worked up by this phone call I just spun on it all morning, complaining to my friend and creating drama. Then we began our hike into Waipio Valley, with the only instruction being “to find the waterfall”. I passed trees larger in circumference than my arms could possibly go, little tiny gates with hearts painted on them that went seemingly to nowhere, and great fields of glistening taro plants.

We finally found the waterfall and I held my body under the pounding water. This day was one of the closest I’ve had to an enlightenment experience. I had a deep, complete sense that “all is okay”. The drama of the morning lifted like mist coming off of grass. I remember recounting my experience to Dave the next day and he responded “ahh…you got what we call perspective.” I will never forget that.

I’d love to hear from you! Are any of these lessons something you’ve experienced in your own life?

xo