Saturday, May 23, 2009

Still, I Need Your Sway



Hammocks rock.
Seriously. Owning a hammock these past 4 months, has been like my own portable piece of paradise, which conveniently stores away in my backpack.
My hammock is made out of parachute material; it is super-strong and when you lay in it, you feel as though you are being cradled in silk. Adventure silk, that should be the name of the fabric.
Two trees, a slight breeze, and some sunshine - perfection.



I spent last night in my hammock deep in the rain forest above Manoa Falls.
An amazing location, totally peaceful and thought provoking.
When you are there, you are surrounded voices of birds, the rush of cool water across stones, and the constant hum of living things. The air is wet, and breathing deep breathes feels great.
There are these huge Banyan trees, like creatures out of a science-fiction novel; their limbs looming out over bamboo groves, their trunks comprised of thousands of smaller vines. They are incredibly wild and intricate - like some sort of abstract nature art. Untamed and beautiful.


I found the perfect place for my hammock at the base of the waterfall, stretched across a small gorge.
Rapids below me, the jungle canopy above.
These huge jungle ferns reaching up from the banks of the stream - like they wanted to climb up into the hammock, and curl up with me.
As I slid in, I felt the silky fabric stretch beneath me; then slowly I started to sway... sway... sway..

Stars came out, and I watched them shimmer between the leaves of high above me. It was a crystal clear sky, nothing between me and god except a few palm leaves and a few thoughts.
Its when I'm lying in places like these, that I can't help but wonder. Not about anything in particular, rather just lay awake in wonder.

Sway... sway... sway..
The rustle of wings,

sway... sway... sway...
Drops of water pattering on rocks,

sway.. sway.. sway..
My chest rising and falling,

sway... sway... sway..


The details of existence wrap themselves around my ears, and climb through the cracks in my cleverness.
The velvet moss growing on a tree branch; listening to a breeze slowly move through the forest, sweep past the waterfall, then move along my body; life is completely in the details.
Lying there in that simple hammock, I felt like the entire Manoa jungle was swaying with me.. sway.. sway ... sway.
We were all wrapped around each other; the moss, the water, the ferns, the trees, the breeze - all of us staring up at into the night sky, lost in wonder.



In the morning, I bathed in the waterfall and watched the sunlight trickle down the mountain slopes. As hikers slowly made their way up the trail; I was waiting, ready to greet them.

"Hey! How's it going?"

I realized yesterday that beauty has to be passed on.
These gorgeous details can't end with me; they can't end with the mornings in the jungle when I wake up. They can't end with a photograph, or a journal entry. I can't just absorb the sway of life, and keep it tucked away in my backpack.
I am out here to feel it, to touch it.. and then to share it.
Sway with me, sway.... sway.. sway..



(Andrew Tipton)

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