Fri/Sat Day's 14 & 15

The majority of my last day in Hawaii was spent on this cliff with waves crashing against it and the sun shining brightly down.  It is so beautiful there and I often at times found myself at a loss of words to describe the beauty that can be found in such abundance.  I hope that my pictures at least gave you a glimpse of what I saw every day.  As I was nodding off on my red eye flight last night, I was trying to figure out just how I would describe Hawaii to a total stranger, to someone who has never been there.  I was also trying to think how I would come back to reality and resume the challenge on my home turf.

Every time I return to Santa Barbara after being away, I am never disappointed, it is so beautiful here.  I am not just saying that because I call this place home and I am biased, it really is amazing, but its' beauty is different than that of Hawaii. 

As I was hiking down San Antonia Creek Trail today (it was on the list) it suddenly dawned on me the difference between Hawaii and Santa Barbara.  Hawaii's beauty is so dramatic it almost does not seem real.  Every where you go is so lush, so green, so vibrant.  The colors of the water are these surreal green's and blue's.  The water crashes powerful against rocks, rocks that are different than rocks you will find just about anywhere else in the world.  Everywhere I went I constantly thought I was looking at a movie set.

Where as Santa Barbara's beauty is just that it is beautiful.  There is the ocean, the weaves, the waters, the greenery here, but it does not look as dramatic as that of Hawaii's.  Hawaii to me is a beautiful place that I would visit to marvel in its magnificence.  Santa Barbara, is a place I call home simply because I believe it to be one of the most beautiful places on earth in a much different way than Hawaii.  Hawaii I see the extremes in beauty, Santa Barbara, I can appreciate all the little things.

I am sitting here typing this in a coffee shop in downtown Santa Barbara (SB).  Frank Sinatra is playing in the background, I am surrounded by people chatting, reading and playing chess.  I look outside and can see the light of the sun changing on the mountains.  I find myself unable to stop smiling as I just left one of the most beautiful places in the world only to find myself sitting in another.  How lucky am I?!

It is not just luck.  What I have learned over my 10+ years of living here in SB is how to appreciate beauty in all the little things... the smiles, the music, the trees, the mountains.  The great thing about this is, we can do this really anywhere in the world if we want to.  For me, personally, I just chose to have it be SB that I call home.

Being in Hawaii taught me a lesson in how to appreciate the dramatic in nature, but even more importantly it helped remind me to pay attention to the little things, and if you look closely, you can find beauty anywhere.  Yet another great lesson learned from this challenge.  How lucky am I indeed.  Enjoy the pictures and until next time...

Carpe Diem,

Jesse