On the first day of my Hawaiian vacation, I woke up before anyone else (including the sun) on this stretch of Ka'anapali Beach in Maui. It was twilight darkness, the air was dewy and warm, and it was very quiet and tranquil. All I could hear was the sound of the waves and the swoosh of the palm trees catching a breeze. After some soul-nuturing silence on the beach, I notice the sun begin to light up the sky. The clouds over the island of Lana'i seemed to light on fire as the sun broke over the Mauna Kahalawai volcano behind me. One word entered my head in that moment: paradise.
