Upon my arrival to Hilo on Friday, I was greeted with an apartment that was not ready for me to move into until Sunday, a car that was reserved for Saturday instead of Friday (i know, 0/2... right???......Welcome to "Island Time"), extending my status of being helpless, carless, and homeless. That, coupled the rain and a vicious growl from my stomach, I was thinking I best take a cab to the nearest yoga studio, throw my 70 lbs of luggage down, and let yoga do its magic. Instead, I did the next best thing. I went to Target, bought some Pinot Noir, fresh berries, and was lucky enough to be invited to my realtor's house to relax until my my friend, Miss Carrie, could come to my rescue. Feeling rather frazzled, unsettled.
Cork. Pour. Sip. Breathe.
Taste. Feel. Listen. Gaze. Touch.
Think. Daydream. Ponder. Wish.
All while sitting ocean side. All while pinching myself, trying to believe this is for real.
We continued to sip on wine, listen to the waves, the breeze, the frogs (I thought birds were making all the noise, turns out its the frogs. Seriously, there is no tuning them out. They are that loud.), until the sky was black and my eyes were heavy. Heavy from fatigue. Heavy from bliss. Heavy from tranquility.
The next few days I spent watching the rain, sipping on coffee, playing catch up with Carrie, window shopping, going to dinner, and attempting to eliminate either the carless or homeless situation. Lucky me, by Sunday, I was neither. A view from the stairwell of my apartment. Stunning. Lucky. Blessed.
Upon first arriving to Hilo, I must admit, I was in a bit of a culture shock. A definite sense of "us" verses "them", Native Hawaiins verses us "wanna be's." I felt detached. Unwelcomed. Almost like an enemy. Misunderstood. That's the funny thing about culture, until you take the time to experience it, learn about it, live in it, I don't think we ever really quite understand it. Different language. Different mannerisms. Different beliefs. Different eye contact. I am not there yet, but everyday, it's becoming a little more clear...much like the sky. Cloudy to hazy to vog (the term used for volcanic ash in the air)...awaiting clear sky and sunshine. Looking forward to the journey that takes me there.
I had been here 3 days before I was really able to enjoy the outdoors. And it was so worth the wait. After discovering my garmin was useless here, (oh sh*&!!) I decided to go exploring by foot. I figured I would become too tired before I became too lost. Below is what I uncovered on my run. Pretty sure it is the best running path ever...
All of which leads me to today. The Eve of Thanksgiving. Funny how I can remember exactly what I was doing at this time last year. Packing my bags. Getting ready to venture out on my first travel nurse assignment. Taking tests. Racing against time to get all my paperwork in. Freezing my ass off. Walking my dog. Hanging with my sisters. Cherishing my niece. Laughing with the family. Having cocktails with friends. Scheming for my first Black Friday outing. Followed by some intense Karaoke post shopping. Stuffing myself to the point of nausea and then forcing down 1 more piece of strawberry rhubarb pie.
2009: I spent in Rochester. Alone. Working. Eating pizza. Feeling Sad. Lonely. Missing out. Clean house. Nothing else.
2008: In Phoenix. Attempting to prep Thanksgiving dinner the night before with April. Trying to figure out if peeled apples have the peeling on them or not? I have yet to figure this out. Making multiple trips to the grocery store due to my error in following directions: peeled or unpeeled? Melt the butter before combining with oatmeal or mash it in? Only to find all the items were sold out that we needed, except the wine of course. Way too many mashed potatoes, a turkey that ready long after its scheduled time, some great pie, some oddly colored sweet potatoes that tasted fabulous (thank you very much, I think Roger referred to them as "kitty litter"), some unpeeled apples in the cranberries, stuffing that was a bit on the dry side, I think we got the corn right, no issues there. Perfection? Far from it. All this coupled with a diverse group of friends and family, followed by an intense competition of Rock Band and horseshoes. We all reminded my Mom of when we were younger, still fighting over who was going play the drums, not wanting to give up our turns. Funny how some things never change. Or maybe they do, but for the better.
Holidays. Or maybe they should be referred to as the "Haul a Days" So much stuff, so much planning, so much stress. All things we create. All things we could avoid... if we let ourselves.
I had almost forgotten it was even Thanksgiving until I found myself getting trampled at the local farmer's market. People all rushing for their last minute items. Fresh flowers, pineapple, papayas, onions, peppers, garlic, ginger...cooking, cleaning scrubbing, rushing. Funny how no matter where you are, the holidays seem to have much in common. Stress. I couldn't help but get lost in thought...
Scrubbing. Dusting. Vacuuming. Washing. Shopping. Prepping. Cooking. Baking. The Rush. The stress. The chaos. Is the turkey too dry? Will there be enough mashed potatoes? Who's bringing the lefse? Smoke filling the kitchen, windows being opened, life being sucked out of the moment. All memories of the holidays. All memories of my Mom working so hard to create the perfect meal. The perfect setting. The perfect Holiday.
Which brings me to my main point. As I sit here and write this, on my balcony, sunglasses on, surrounded by beauty, overlooking palm trees, blue skies, water, boats, and flowers. A setting of pure perfection. I can't help but wish I was home freezing my ass off with the rest of the family. Funny how there is no such thing as a perfect setting. A Perfect gathering, but not a perfect setting.
So today, as you gather with family and friends, cherish the moment. The memories. The laughter. Forget about the dust on the mantle, the turkey that's too dry, or the dinner that won't be done on time. I can quite honestly say, I have never left anyone's house complaining of any such things...nor will your guests.
Live for today. Enjoy your family. Your friends. Your time making memories. Forget the stress. Forget worrying. Forget perfection. Make it a Holiday instead of a "Haul a day" Even though I am grateful that life has taken me to Hawaii, I have a feeling I won't remember much about this Thanksgiving. Its the people we surround ourselves with that truly are the best place settings anyone could ever have.
Tonight: Ponder your favorite holiday memories. Gather around. Share them at dinner. I bet there will be tears of laughter.
Tomorrow: Make a resolution for Christmas not to get caught up in the "Haul a Days" but rather the Holidays. I promise you, you won't regret it. Nor will your pocket book.
