Expanded Worlds

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Green Mierta sports car – top down, a gloriously balmy Kauaian September summer’s morning; and the company of a wonderful girlfriend as we head from Kalaheo for at least an hour’s walk and talk on the vast sand at Kekaha Beach.

Sights as we drive and have the trade winds blow through our hair include scarlet Poinciana still in umbrella bloom; vast stretches of cerise bougainvillea growing wild, splashing the dry Westside landscape with vivid color; recently harvested sugar cane fields free rust red soil to lift and stain nearby everything; the wild west feel of the wooden structures in Waimea town; and the vast expanse of cobalt blue Pacific Ocean stretching all the way to the smudged silhouette of the Forbidden Island on the south western horizon. Neither one of us seem to ever tire of appreciating the incredible gifts Kauai so generously gives us.

While there is much sharing and catching up on each other’s busy lives – She has just been in many paddling races and her team has done well; she is in a new relationship and is enjoyed being adored; and I have just returned from the Maui Writers’ Retreat; am applying for a position that enables a lot of travel - what I most want to blog about today, is what I shared with her about a new concept, a new word; two new words.

The new words are ‘compersian’ and ‘freebly’, and the story to illustrate the concept is that of three monks and a hot air balloon. I choose this story deliberately to expand the original use of this word.

Three monks approach a hot air balloon so excitedly and joyously, that the tour organizer asks his colleague: “You’re sure they know only one is able to go up with us?”

The colleague walks out to meet the monks and checks with them.

“Yes we know, but when one goes we all go!”

To celebrate in another’s happiness and good fortune is compersian. Compersian is the opposite of jealousy.

The Kerista community first coined the word, compersian. My wish is that this word’s use expands beyond a sexual context. The Kerista community also spoke about feeling frubbly. In that context it meant being happy, when another touched someone you loved in an uplifting and enriching manner.

My dream is that we feel frubbly and practice compersian in all areas of our lives.