Island greetings. It takes all of a few hours to adopt the vibe of the Hawaiian natives and those who have chosen to make Hawaii their home. It’s stunningly beautiful here. In another life I could picture myself either living in Maui or vacationing frequently. I love the fresh air, the flowers, the palm trees – everything about it. How could you not? I feel sorry for those who declare – “absolutely no desire to go there.” – as I touched upon in my last post, but it’s just as well really. No negative mojo is needed here.
(A view from the yard of the house my niece and her fiance & their families are staying)
Today I swam in the pool, sometimes floating on my back, staring up at the palms and the gorgeous blue sky. Later, I went snorkeling for the first time. I saw yellow tangs and angel fish as well as anemones and a spiky creature fastened to the rocks. My son’s girlfriend, Ashley, saw both a stingray and turtle. How awesome is that?
It’s a little tough because my husband is having a tough time with his bad knees. The walk through three different airports on our way here didn’t advance his cause in any way. So now he’s dealing with his normal knee pain and a swollen in-step. We’ll make sure there are wheelchairs waiting for us as we reverse the trip. I think he’s become a little less stubborn in light of the difficulties he went through trying to get to the gates, baggage claim, and car rental. In turn, I was required to hurry and grab the bags off the conveyor belts. It took me aback a bit when people crowded the sides, marking their spots before bags came tumbling down. I had to weasel in between the line block to nab our suitcases.
I felt alone for sure. But there was a delightful bright spot. As I was scrambling along to the baggage claim, I saw a sign with my name and a Hawaiian woman bearing purple and white floral leis. Beautiful! It made my day.
So here we are. I find myself at the shocking old age of fifty-seven, wishing I could be in the 20’s and 30’s group, but knowing I couldn’t keep up with them. I don’t feel fifty-seven this year. Last year, I would have claimed seventy, easily. But even after a twenty pound loss, I had so much more energy. At the thirty pound mark, I want to do more. Usually my migraine head holds me back, but meds are at the ready for this trip, and I’ve been able to take the migraines out one by one like targets in a shooting gallery.
Tomorrow, our niece, Angela, gets married to my son’s friend, Mitch. I’m honored to be here. I hope she knows how proud we are of her. Angela has such a great personality. She’s kind, sweet and caring. She also has a little bit of an sardonic wit that I’ve always adored about her. She’s made me laugh many times. So mahola, Angela.
And aloha October 11th. It’s funny how dates you see as far off in the distance come closer and closer until – wow! The dates are here already. True with my daughter Jana’s wedding, and so true two month’s later for my dear niece.
Much love Angela & Mitch. All our best to you.
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