Isn’t it weird how our brains work? We can get spooked by the simplest things and our minds go into all that “what if this happens?” “what if that happens?” mode. But how about this: what if nothing by bad comes our way at all?

What if lots of good things come our way, but we are too busy worrying about all those “what ifs” to see them? For example, last February I flew to Hawaii by myself. I hadn’t been on an airplane since 2001, and of course my mind went to all the horrific plane crashes, etc. Also, I’d never been to Hawaii before, and I was on my own.

But here’s what happened: my seat in the plane was quite comfortable, and there were free movies! I had brought snacks with me, and had my bottle of water. I was comfortable and entertained. I had forgotten how much fun it was to fly.

The flight from Boston to San Francisco was a long one. But I was comfortable, entertained and best of all, I was living my dream; to go Hawaii. From San Francisco I flew to Honolulu, and when I got there I realized that my long dream of visiting Hawaii was really happening.

I chose Oahu for many reasons, one of which was that I wanted to see the *Iolani Palace, where the magnificent statue of King Kameamea stands. I also wanted to see where King Kalakaua and his sister, Queen Liliuokalani lived.

It was a wonderful experience, and absolutely nothing terrible happened in the two weeks I was in Oahu. On my way back home, I felt as though a major shift had happened for me: my fear of flying was gone. My fear of being on my own was gone as well.

Here;s the thing: we don’t know what is in store for us. All we can do is take chances now and then, and be mindful of what we wish for. Of course anything can happen anywhere, but that doesn’t mean that we have to live in fear or worry.

A Palace for Royalty

 

“Queen Liliuokalani succeeded her brother upon his death on January 20, 1891. She was determined to strengthen the political power of the Hawaiian monarchy. Her attempts to affect change caused great opposition from the Committee of Safety, who later orchestrated the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and the establishment of a provisional government with support of the American Minister to Hawaii.”