Music makes friends

Like a scene from a movie I probably saw once, I thought it would be cool to practice my Ukulele on the beach today.  I mean, I had to know if it's as cool as it seems!  #duhh.

I took a pause from playing my Ukulele to shove a handful of Hawai'ian snacks in my face while sitting under a palm tree on a patch of grass that slowly melted into sand on the beach of Ala Moana Park.  At that very moment, I saw a stranger walk toward me.  My initial thoughts were to give off the "don't bother me, I'm eating" look as it seemed as though he wanted to ask me if I could take a picture for him.  I think I may have successfully done so because then he awkwardly walked past me and stood 10 ft away as he looked at his phone.

I instantly felt bad.  Why was I being closed off?  Poor tourist probably just wanted me to take a photo of him.  I spent a minute questioning my resting bitch face until suddenly, said stranger came back to stand in front of me and asked if he could sit down and listen to me play.  OHHHHHh... so that'ssss what his intention was.  My immediate response and yes, I did say this: "Uh... no"  Ok, so I likely was coming off as a total asshole at this point.  And as soon as I realized this, I followed up with the fact that I was super new to the Uke and only just started teaching myself this past Friday.  He sat down and shared that he, too, was learning and asked if he could show me.

Honestly, I still was a bit weirded out and unsure of how to handle this situation... that is until I reminded myself that I was in Hawai'i to be open, to let go of all things negative, and make space for new learnings.  I didn't necessarily come with the intention to make new friends, but I think one of the coolest things about the connections I've made so far in my life is the fact that they are kind of global; and the memories I've really valued are the moments that I've created with strangers whom I've encountered randomly who have similar interests as me.  So, I gave him my Uke, stopped being weird, and listened as he played some song.

We then exchanged stories and turns out, he wasn't a tourist at all.  He lived in San Francisco for 9 years before coming to Hawaii'i to now manage Airbnbs for the past 2 years.  I find it so interesting how many people I've already met that come from the mainland to just resettle their lives on this island; and to hear specifically why he did was really insightful.  People come here truly to find their own standard of paradise!  And to think... I thought it was just for the poke.

Anyway, his friends arrived and I got to meet them.  They asked if I wanted to play volleyball with them and though it was a kind gesture and definitely an opportunity for me to make some more friends, I really wanted to continue playing my Uke.  I rejected their invitation, but did move to sit by them and watch them play while I did my own thing meanwhile.  It was a delightful, picturesque type of an afternoon that reminded me of the friendly folks that live on this beautiful island.