Aloha! At the writing of this post today, I am playing on the Big Island of Hawaii. As a promise to my husband and myself, I am taking some much needed time away from working and writing. I’ve been driven since last June when I pulled out my novels and have had a whirlwind of activity since I was chosen as a Pitch Wars mentee. So today, as you receive this email, I will be hanging out on a beach and letting my fingers and my mind rest. Filling the well for when I get back home and dig into completing my second PI novel in the Kelly Pruett series.

One of my fun goals for this trip is to see the elusive green flash during a sunset. The green flash is an optical phenomenon that occurs when the conditions are just right, and it’s a mystery of nature I find intriguing. The sun has a green rim around it as it sinks in the sky and can sometimes be seen about ten minutes before sunset. But the atmosphere must be clear to create the mirage and the light refraction to see the actual green flash. The locals and tourists say it happens on occasion, even though not all have seen it. But there are many who try to find it each night. Despite the lack of the flash, no one goes home disappointed from a Hawaiian sunset. The beauty of the blazing sun meeting the dark horizon is cause to pause in and of itself.

As of this writing, I have not seen the flash. But I can tell you this. Standing at the ocean shore, with a group of strangers, all with the purpose of watching the sunset in the islands, is peaceful and reflective and you can feel the Aloha spirit. Maybe it’s enough to just stop and search the skies and breathe in the end of the day. Someday I may see that flash. But today I’m content with the search.

My question: What are you looking for that you might find by just standing still?

Mary

P.S. No green flash, but here are a few of the beautiful sunsets I’ve been seeing here on Island.