I was watching a basketball game on television tonight. That, on its own, is a rarity. I used to say you couldn't pay me to watch basketball games. I was wrong. They do.

This one was one of the rare exceptions I make. My alma mater, Gonzaga University, was playing Indiana in the Maui Invitational. Watching Gonzaga in this case is purely secondary. I love Maui.

I lived on Maui for about a year and a half after my divorce. If your heart is broken, Maui is a good place to go to find healing.

I always found it to be the most inspiring place I had ever visited. Creative ideas popped into my head constantly while I was there on vacation. Living there was even better.

Let me put it simply. Maui is paradise with an airport. The ocean is so many incredible shades of blue that it almost defies accurate description. The water is so warm that it feels as though Mother Nature is wrapping her arms around you and hugging you. The sunsets are so beautiful that you almost have to stop each day at sundown, watch, and applaud.

The night sky is something you have to see to believe. There are no city lights to taint the night, so the black of night is darker and richer than the most expensive velvet, and the stars sparkle like the most expensive gems you've ever seen.

I used to walk down to the beach at night and stretch out on the sand and watch the night sky. The sound of the surf was soothing. It was the most wonderful place to meditate and contemplate your place in the world.

I lived in a little town called Kihei, on the south shore of the island. I could look out my front door and see Lanai in the distance – and the sunset, from my doorstep, kissed the tip of Lanai every night. The tiny island Kaho'olawe was also so close I could almost touch it.

One of the coolest parts of living in Kinei is the fact that it is located right on the foot of Haleakala, the island's dormant volcano. It's dormant, not extinct. There are small, daily earthquakes as the mountain rumbles, reminding you that the earth is alive. That's a powerful thing to feel underneath your feet.

There was only one problem with living in paradise. I lived there alone.

Paradise isn't paradise unless it's shared.

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