Aloha! The journey continues into the eighth week of my Maui experience. Initial excitement of the unknown sets the backdrop to the now focused pursuit of why I'm here; to learn about sustainability, becoming acquainted with the earth and how to tend it, manage land, propagate crops, and get deeper in understanding. I'm paying attention to more than what's in front of me while practicing unknowing in the sense of openness to new ideas. However, not ignoring what we've come to know as Maui Time and the perfect alignment of desirable opportunity. Over a month on the island, and it begins to dawn on me that I'm here for more than vacation, yet not quite permanent. I'm ephemeral, and in the untethered ether, I can hear myself think. The rapid boil adventure has calmed to a nice simmer of consciousness.
Transience is blissful.
For instance, I was at a beach park in Lahaina, just enjoying the breeze with a bowl and some pages of Ishmael, when a rather shabby looking individual laying on a blanket shouted a query about my hair. So we bantered momentarily.
Quite frankly, I was trying to ignore him. He mentioned something about jewelry, and I inquired to what end. It's funny how we make snap judgments based on our own desires - I just wanted to read in the park, and this hobo wants to talk to me. But I decided to indulge and moved in for a closer look. For the next few hours he would reveal to me a series of very tall tales through which I was fully captivated as to whether or not he was a bum. $30k worth of raw black coral glimmered at me from the plaid blanket. A Learjet he said, "my friend's actually," was waiting for him at the airport. Sure buddy, and I'm Henry the VIII... Then he started talking about Black Ops missions, detailing eyewitness reports of explicitly underhanded government dealings, including some things I've heard before. He was succinct, intelligent, and fascinating. I handed him the j I'd just rolled, slack-jaw baffled by this anomaly. As he was laying all of this on me, some paramedics walking near, perhaps on a break, inquired with the comfort of friends, "Hey Philip, how's the ocean today?" My hobo friend and Chris the paramedic embraced, going into how rare it is to extract black coral (only 200 people in the world have this permit), the depths at which it can be obtained (250 feet), and the amount of pressure and type of equipment used for SCUBA and what his boat was capable of. Spread on the blanket were hundred year old antiques, wooden marbles, and a pirate's booty worth of black coral. He handed me two bits advising I not get it appraised. A UCLA cum laude graduate and government weapon, he simply said, "The system is fucked, I got out," then with a puff, "I wanted to be homeless, so I'm gunna sell the house my brother bought me. I have 15 acres of property up in Kula." Jeez guy, let me be the caretaker. I hope I see Philip again. No email or phone was exchanged (as I'm sure he wants it), and he mentioned something about going to Kuala Lampur to search for a missing friend. Who knows. I want some commissioned black coral plugs.Those seemingly random occurrences propel me, and once again, reaffirm that things happen for a reason. My mind is tuning to certain frequencies, and I'm becoming aware of the shift. Who is this I that is becoming aware, anyway? Astrologically, I'm headed into the Saturn rising of my life. A period of harvest, transit and travels. For me, it's no more than curious interest, but it seems to have relevance. Aside from a crystal ball, I feel connected to a realization of my dharma, like I'm magnetized to experiences of soulful richness. You couldn't buy this. I can feel the dirt road of Love between my toes. The full, wet soil massages my feet as I journey, perhaps stopping to smell flowers or remark at the sunset... It's difficult to see the horizon due to the sheer solar magnitude, but I know its out there and I'm pretty sure I won't fall off the edge.
So I keep walking the path to sustainability, and sometimes I have company. The dream we shared is an ecstatic memory on an island. It was organic, to say the least, as paths of life weave individually, occasionally sharing the same thread of time and space. Short as it may have been, I felt fully connected to the moment. Now, each of our paths on the country road venture in their own directions, experiential participants in the transient island life of the untethered ether.
Perhaps the timing was perfect, as I'm further directed into focus and timing. I gotta do what I gotta do, focus Atom. In the last four weeks both Katies (the last set of interns on the farm) have continued on their respective paths, making me the senior-most wwoofer, subject to more responsibility and also privilege. Whether in a cubical or on a farm, I climb ladders. On Wednesdays, I take produce to the farmers market in Makawao. I have a space for folding tables, an umbrella, and the cornucopia of all the deliciousness we grow on the farm including squash, white sapote, limes, yacon, papaya, mustard greens, and home made raw dessert treats. I'm re-membering the dream. Getting involved and making myself known is exciting. My resume is shaping - not necessarily shifting, just growing.
As my character is growing on the farm. The last seven weeks I was sleeping in a tent under a tree, and while this was literally a perfect start to my from the ground up approach, the novelty of tented residence on wooden slats wore thin. So when the opportunity rose to sleep in a bed, I jumped in it. 
Now I sleep in a bed under the stairs, and I think I'll be staying here for the remainder of my time on Maui. Perhaps five months isn't enough, but that is another blog entry in itself.We now have three new apprentices on the farm.
Kendra, the granola girl from Berkeley, owns a gardening business, lives in someone's backyard, and is a resource in herself, enlightening me to bed setups and water management. She will certainly be a valued asset once I'm ready to setup AF. 
Jason and Shannon are a vegan Canadian couple and have cast off the shackles of conformity to travel the world for a year. After a week or so of getting-to-know-you, the four of us interact incredibly well. Especially with food. A well oiled machine would have a hard time keeping up. Each of us knows there is a job to be done whether prepping, gathering items in the garden, cleanup along the way, table settings, or cooking. We are like minded in communal energy given/taken, and just as easily, one of us could've been the asshole. Maybe I'm the asshole.Twere a volcano weekend. As a new troupe of social chums, the four of us rented a Gran Marquis this weekend and drove up to the top of Haleakala. It was a boat. The kind my grandparents drive... and it was awesome. The wheeled ship was fitting. I at the helm, energized from delicious Kona coffee, navigating up waves and belled curves sailing around the volcano's base. The mist turned into rain and a moment later, we peaked above that cloud into clear watered twilight skies. Reggae music in lieu of the mariner's song set the soundtrack. It was numbingly cold, but incredibly magical. Waking up at 3am with the anticipation of watching sunrise from an island volcano felt like waiting for Christmas as a young child. The gift was the experience. Sadly, my battery died halfway through the timelapse. Lesson #1 in digital cameras: make sure the battery is charged. On the way down, we pinched some persimmons that were dangling dangerously close to the street, so we helped out the owners and trimmed their trees.
Nap time came and went and I decided to venture to roller derby with Bill and Marta. I like spending time with them; hearing Bill's off the wall life lessons that are so perfect, and making deliveries with Marta to restaurants and market. I feel blessed to have found such an excellent opportunity. I've also been keeping up with design, just finishing a logo for the Greenleafs.
I've begun to see life itself through edible and utilitarian glasses. What resources do I have to make this work? Problem solving with limited options will come in handy when the shitteth hitteth yonder fan. My knowledge of edible flora grows, but I feel like there is SO much more to know. Accepting gradual progress is something I've been working on appreciating. It rained in Paia for Halloween, which was an interesting element to the evening. Kinda added a pleasurable ambiance of spookiness - though I wasn't as pleased when I realized my shoes were caked inside and out with sand and mud and my $4 tights had run. oh beans...
My good friends Julie and Marisol are coming into Maui for a week! I'm really excited to hang out with them, go camping, imbibe some fungi no doubt, and party. It will be great to share the company of long time friends.
As Thanksgiving approaches I can't help but give thanks to life itself, but more on that to come...
Mahalo
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