I swam with a whale shark. It was one of the most magical experiences, and one I have dreamed of for years. He was so gentle, so sweet, so calming, so powerful. He spoke to me, I felt him so profoundly, and I feel expanded.

I was a foot from his face looking him in the eye, I was an inch from his fin as he swam past me. I got to swim along with him and witness his magnificent body and his graceful movements.

Not what I ever imagined, growing up as the girl who was terrified of the water and couldn't swim. 

I was with two dear friends who are professional under water photgraphers, so I knew there would be incredible photos! Thank you to Lisa Denning and Deron Verbeck for bringing such magic to my world!

At one point I heard in my head "stop and listen" I stopped swimming and let him and the crowd move ahead until I was alone.

I tuned in to him and my whole body flooded with love. I involuntarily wrapped my arms around myself, began crying overflowing tears and heard a few funny whimpering sounds come out of me, and heard the words, "you are SO precious." He said it twice. "You are SO precious."

I felt like he was talking about mankind and me at the same time.

How can you not be changed after something like that???

The following night Noah and I went to spent the weekend in Volcano, a little town next to (or on top of) our active volcano, Kilauea.

For the first time in many decades the volcano had erupted as a lake of lava!

As we sat and watched this magnificent site out of the fiery boiling lake rose steam and smoke. As I watched it travel from one side of the crater to the other and rise up to the sky I realized shapes were forming. Animal shapes, as if they were rising out of the fire. First dinosaurs, a pterodactyl, then elephants, horse, lion, dog, clear as day I saw them. As if they walked across the lake then drifted to the sky. So many animals, and finally a human shape. It was pure magic! 

We brought a special offering for the Volcano Goddess Pele. Precious things to me. Orchids from my garden, dark chocolate, sand from cancun, coffee beans and a rare strawberry from our yard, shells from my collection, and a crystal.

Thank you Goddess Pele.

This weekend has been full of some of the most spiritually fulfilling, rare and precious experiences. Things I never imagined I would do in this lifetime.

It was also counterbalanced with little annoyances. Almost comically so.

On the boat I got extremely seasick. And that nausea came and went for several days, along with painful stomach cramps. Also on the boat I got one of the worst sunburns of my life. So for several days, that hurt like a B!*ch. My skin is still recovering from travel, so I have had huge cystic acne all over my face. Oh and lastly I must've strained a muscle in my back because for the last week I've been waking up in the morning with my back muscles feeling seized up and sharp pain. Ha!  Can you believe all that?

Put all that together with the magical experience with the whale shark, a beautiful night away with the man of my dreams, and getting to watch Goddess Pele create a lake of lava; and you have quite the dichotomy of experiences!

My point in all this is that I had lots of room for choice.

We always do, in every moment. We have a choice of where we will put our focus.

So I could have focused on the majesty of my experience with the whale shark, or on the burning pain of my sunburn when I move my legs.  On the beautiful house we rented and being with my man, or on waking up with a shooting pain in my back.

And there were definitely times when I did focus on the discomfort. Noah put up with some complaining from me for sure!  More often though, I actively basked in the magic and bliss.

This was a beautiful practice for me to focus.

This is the choice we always have.

Do I focus on what is seemingly wrong or what is gloriously right?

Glass half-full or glass half empty?

In the sisterhood I lead we have been focusing this month on the theme of Freedom. As I reflect on all of these experiences I realize that my biggest Freedom is how I choose to experience this life.

In Love, Cara