• Hawaiian Koa Wood Inlayed Titanium Ring
• Hawaiian Koa Wood Inlayed Titanium Ring w/ 14kt Gold (Green Gold, Rose Gold, Yellow Gold or White Gold)

Hawaiian Koa wood is complimented by inlays of 14kt green gold set in a titanium ring.

Titanium is a natural element that is non-allergenic as well as extremely light and durable. Used by ancient Hawaiians to build canoes and surfboards, Koa is one of the Earth's most rare and valuable woods found only in the mountains of Hawaii. Koa inlays are treated to be water and UV resistant. These elements are brought together to make a truly beautiful Hawaiian ring. Made with aloha from the mountains of Hawaii. Each ring is unique and handmade to order. All sizes available.

*******
Each ring costs between $250-$350 and you can expect 4-6 weeks for delivery. If you like them, please feel free to contact me.

I run before the sun gets up.... I'm half awake from a night full of dreams, thoughts, hope and love, and slowly massaging my body by putting on tight running shorts and T-shirt seems like a continuity of a vivid astro projection throughout the universe.

I gratefully drink a big glass of water, maybe a light protein shake and jump outside. The dark sky welcomes me, the fresh air flows deep down into my internal being and I smile, "Thank you, I love you, thank you so much!" I can hear the birds sing the music of a new glorious day and the rattle of the leaves in the wind whispers magical secrets from the night. The moon is still observing us proudly from above and the stars look happy in peace and harmony with the spin.

I spread my arms wide open, breathe deeply, feeling the air expanding my lungs and off I go. I run in the mountains. The roads are narrow, the fall is steep and the incline makes my thighs tense and sends shivers out through my body from the Achilles, up through the strong knees, hips, and spine and all the way through to my rosy fingertips. I'm grounded and the gentle repetitive impacts caress the soles of my feet and I feel lucky sensing the breath of Mother Earth. She's alive and her belly raises and lowers with every in- and exhalation like a little child safe in the arms of the embracing mother. Glimmering light is streaming down through my Crown Chakra and its energy and charm makes me blush and giggle of joy and trust. I can feel the aura of my surroundings, the trees are happily flirting with the birds, the branches beat the rhythm of my pace and the smell is sweet and full of life. I feel childlike and I feel free.

The clouds..... Oh the clouds are a world for themselves. Light cotton balls silently flowing on the blue ceiling and inviting the sun to paint one masterpiece after another on their soft beautiful bodies. Amazing fractals are created in front of my nose tip and shiny rays kiss the ocean and leave me round eyed in wonder and grace.

Suddenly everything changes. The colors have jumped a spectrum and the sky has lit up faster than the miles I just left behind. I can hear a cow having a conversation with her offspring and I turn around now running towards this early morning's starting point. I'm running towards a little green house in the mountains with the fresh flowing water and magic stones in every corner, and an incredible 3 floor tall crisping crackling bamboo as guardian angel.

This place is full of wonder and I'm spellbound by its power and charm. I feel safe and I feel light and warm. I breathe, touch and create. I suddenly feel in tune with myself and the universe, everything seems perfect and I'm full of trust and love. The sensations and colors are stronger than ever and tears run down my cheeks.

We are and everything is just so amazing incredible wonderful!....

The Invitation

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life's betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
"Yes."

It doesn't interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.

© Mountaindreaming, from the book The Invitation published by HarperSanFrancisco, 1999 All rights reserved

What happens when we get attached to things? When we get attached to our peculiar state of mind, our given mood, our feelings or things, ideas and possessions... But even worse is it when we get attached to how we want/think/wish the other person should (could would) behave and be. We somehow expect the person (and our surroundings) to be in a certain way, always, period. No surprises, no confusion, no fear.

Maybe we met our shiny sweetheart in a bar and the swinging surroundings where covered in the embrace of soft tunes (or Oldies Goldie's), everybody all dressed up in sexy and encouraging outfits, cowboy boots and clean jeans, red lipstick, hair gel, and of course a clean shave and the perfect smile go with the rest. A beer in one hand, maybe a cigarette or a spinning hair lock in the other, looking at pretty girls or strong handsome shoulders and letting the entire breeze of the night life caress our mind and bodies.  

That's how we meet, -in that specific state of mind. Now what happens later? The couple is in love, the sex is great, the discovery of each other is even greater and the wave of brain chemicals makes them constantly high on love (with the unavoidable silly grin stuck on the face). What happens when the every day routine comes knocking on the door? The bad hair days, the monthly grumpiness with the corresponding hormonal roller coaster trips, the missing arm pit shave, smelly socks (with holes), demanding colleagues at work, paper bills to be paid, weekly soccer/beer game with the dudes, kids to fetch at school, where are we!?

What happened to the sweet "bar ambiance", this special dreamlike easy going impulsive and fun state of being we had when we met the first time? The excitement of something "NEW". We want it back! "It was so good, then".... "I wish we could turn back time, rewind the tape, have fun, enjoy and discover again".

Attachments.... Living in the past.... And suddenly the present becomes tough.  

Attachment to our Ego, attachment to our thoughts, to how we think the world is, our personal point of view, our mental screen showing us the latest movie of THE perfect world.

"She is use to be like that (so that's how I want her to be now -or maybe I really would like her to be different, but of course she isn't....)" or "I feel safe in this routine". What are we attached to? To something that seems to be stable (even when it creates boredom or pain)?

Stableness is a pretty big illusion....... Sticks in the wheels, volcanic rocks carried around in our shoes, a narrow space dragging us down and WHO does all this? Who is responsible? We are... Us. Nobody else. We are the one who gets attached to the outcome, get attached to the past and what seems like just has been.

Of course we learn from our past, our experiences, our climbs and falls but that's exactly what and where we should be; in the learning. Constantly, never ending, eternal journey of new experiences, an always complete recreation of our thoughts and emotions in every given moment and possible breath. We recreate ourselves (or we get recreated?). That's our flow, that's life. Maybe we should stop thinking and just let it go and start to enjoy the ride?......  

Let's live.

The energy here is different. Now I understand why some people say that Hawai'i is like being on another planet, why it's so different from the mainland. Now that I'm so lucky to experience it, I can say, Yes, it really is different here.

It's not only the great food, the beautiful flowers, the strong voiced coqui frogs, hot volcanoes, splashing water falls, soft beaches, big turtles and amazing sun rises but also the people. The people here seem so much more sincere. No, they are not more intelligent or even more spiritually developed than others but somehow they all seem to be so much more true to themselves....

When you meet somebody you know exactly how she or he feels because that's not only what the person's body language tells you but that's what they say and do. It's really nice and it makes you become even more true to yourself as well. You naturally become more connected and loving.

Last night I was at a poetry reading. Hawaiian inspired poetry that included Aloha hula dancing lyrics, barefooted long bearded men, beautifully tanned women caressing their curves in colorful sarongs, all different kind of multi material art work on every wall and ceiling, and singing people playing vibrating instruments and joining into the sound of the hot and typical local known beats. Hmmmm... banjos, violins, guitars, drums, percussion, bass and piano...... Happy people, happy rhythm, happy life. The doors were open and the Hilo weather rained down perfectly in tune with the embrace of the music.

We sat on wood chairs and after a while it became too hard to sit still so we left and drove to another joyful place called "the Paradise". And it was. Local people, all looking cool and satisfied about this (rainy) Friday night, cold beers in their hands, and laughing in this precise moment of their lifetime. The Now was filled with beautiful women and smiling men.

I'm a total dance-o-mania and of course I immediately got attracted to the dance floor, and for the next couple of hours the only existing world was the dimension of movement, play, laughter and the sharing of physical joy with an exciting fellow crowd on a shiny dance floor. Everything moved; feet, legs, hips, waist, shoulders, fingers, arms, head..... Playing, feeling, expanding, buzzing, sharing, shaking, laughing, twisting, jumping, singing and living. Everything was there in that single moment. Everything that's worth living for, that makes everything so intense, beautiful and full of desire and transformation. The Flow.

How much more intense everything would be if we just could learn how to really enjoy every single moment we have. If we could live in the moment, feel the experience and learn from whatever thing and situation we are in. The Now of this whatever it is, wherever we are and come what may.

I ended the evening quietly on my couch, eating a delicious papaya, fascinated by its soft meat, orange/red color and sweet strawberry like scent, filling my senses and humming me to sleep. Soon I was happy crawling into bed, comfortable between clean sheets, Polynesian sarong caressing my throat, pillow gentle squeezed against the chest and a happy tired smile on my lips. Wonderful day, wonderful night, wonderful life, Aloha auinapo....

It's 4.30am and I'm sitting in the dark looking out at the strong rain. Tropical rain. You know that kind of rain carrying this sweet smell and you feel sticky all over but not cold. Do you think that the rain falls randomly?... Or does it follow some kind of system?... Probably a system that we human beings have glued on to try to make it fit what we think it is or could-should-would be....... We love to do things like that.

The rain just falls. Well that's what it seems to do and furthermore it seems to be doing its job quite successfully since it has been raining for hours and not just a little bit but a LOT! Transparent liquid pouring down from the sky watering the Earth, plants and makes the Coqui frogs dance and sing in true joy and happiness. If we don't want to be wet we can just stay inside or use another sort of shelter. Our choice, the rain doesn't seem to care much about our personal opinion anyway so why not choose to stay happy?

I went for a long bike trip yesterday and almost the second after I left the safe inside and was now free under the wonders of the humorous sky, the rain began. I stopped under a tree, looked up and said, "ok it doesn't matter that you'll make me wet as long as you'll dry me as well". And it did.... I had rain and thunder and then wind and even some sun and when I finally was back home after a couple of hours of biking, I was all dry and red cheeked feeling fresh and happily exhausted.

The sky has some kind of reddish flair to it this morning. A chick and sexy dash that makes it flirt with the Earth. I bet it does. Flirt. Maybe the Earth likes to wear different color coats once in a while and to be cool and friendly the sky creates different flavors to suit her sweet taste. And of course other times the Earth colors the sky......... They embrace and they love.

I saw three HUGE turtles the other day, an early quiet morning. Well two big and a smaller one. I have never before seen so big turtles free. They were swimming in circles, minding their own business, sticking their beautiful heads up to breathe once in a while and looking oh so peaceful and true. I sat on the rock next to them for a loooong time and just watched..... A connection was created and I could feel the sensation of gliding under the tempered water, the contact with the loose and hard rocks, the pressure of the stream, the gentle motion of the head, the graceful turns and that they could see and feel me too. I loved them and they loved me back. So easy to love and so amazing.

Everything is so easy when we do it. What make things become so incredible complicated are the thought processes we have before. If we just did things, things which are good for us (which means that they are good for you and me too) then everything would be so much more peaceful.

Have you ever noticed how incredible soft the water looks when it caresses the stones and sand on the beach? It looks like velvet and love..... I guess that's what they do, love. Even when the rain travels down through the air, hard and full of vigor and excitement. For us it looks like the drops are slamming against the waves but for the ocean it must feel like a HUGE tickling game and its enormous laughter will soon be heard and the dolphins and whales jump in joy as overcharged with energy and life.

I feel so lucky. So immensely incredible awesomely GRATEFUL of being able to experience all those things. Life, Love, Laughter, Light -the four L. I was told that one from somebody I love and he's right. That's what everything is made of. So simple.....

I'm experiencing a minor challenge here........ First I thought that it wouldn't be something really to worry about but now it has turned into a bigger dimension than I possible could imagine.

I am being chased......

I'm being seriously harassed by hairy little monsters, buzzing flying creatures that are also crawling, biting, stinging... Tiny freaks chasing me in every existing corner, room, direction, outdoor, indoor and I've turned into a non stop eternal never ending pincushion! Arrrghh!!

A Buddhist Zen friend told me to send them love and understanding so I decided to try his advice and instead of applauding the mosquitoes (hand clapping!) I instead gently waved them away and even told them that they could take a sip of my blood as long as they didn't hurt me or leave any dreaded venom.

That didn't work...

Then I bought some citronella incense but that wasn't enough to keep them away either and after a really unmerciful right-at-sunset attack I went straight to the local supermarket fast determined to buy whatever needed to keep the little darn blood suckers away from my poor aching skin. Unfortunately the only thing I found on the supermarket shelves seemed even worse than the mosquitoes themselves; "risk of allergy, don't use on animals or children, don't get near food or water, rinse your eyes if contact, wash your hands....." Hhmmmmmm it didn't really sound like a very attracting idea to roll myself in for everyday for the next 1 ½ month! At least if I didn't want to get high on chemicals..... So instead I went to the health food store and there I found various essential oils with mosquito repellent and even a soap called "bug-off!"  

Back at home, I washed and sprayed myself from top to toe with the new bought products, sat down with a happy sigh, turned on the computer to answer an e-mail or two and then bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzt! Directly on my right leg. Arrrrrggghhh!!

I jumped up feeling truly frustrated, miserable and horrible feeling of defeat and honest discomfort, and as shiny glaze on the carrot cake; an observing friend sitting in the other corner of the room, sweetly said the words "hmmm Nina, maybe you should just surrender to the bugs, eh?".........

Thoughts like "people who annoy you are our best teachers" and "what triggers your temper is always a great lesson" popped up inside my head but my mouth turned upside down and I yelled, "if you don't have anything better to say then I reeeaally prefer you to BE QUIET!!" (btw he's happy to have me around since then HE doesn't get attacked by the mosquitoes).

Conclusion is that I need to find a solution or my stay on this beautiful island will turn into a buzzing nightmare.

***********************************************

It's now one day after and the bug-off! spray and soap seems to have calmed down my attackers a bit. Furthermore I have now ordered not one, but three Electronic Mosquito Repellers on the net; one for my hat, one to keep around my tummy and one in my shoes, and da da daaaaa I'll soon be transformed into one big vibrating Dane! Ok, it kinda makes me giggle but as long as it works, I'm happy. Life's too short to be bothered by small things like that (even though they are numerous and persistant!)

Funny how things are sometimes.........