Aloha Hawai'i

Aloha Hawai'i

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Officially, it's my last day in Hawai'i and I can't even begin to describe the sadness that overwhelms me.  I truly did not expect one month to fly by so quickly, but it certainly has.

I came here with the purpose of getting healthy mentally and physically.  I leave now realizing I've gained so much more than just that.  Today, I hiked Diamond Head one last time since my flight was in the evening and as I was overlooking the ocean at the top of the peak, I took in the views and felt so thankful for this past month here.  This island and the communities here welcomed me with so much Aloha and for a very persuasive moment, I felt like I belonged here indefinitely.

10 hikes • 25 logged yoga and dance classes • 15+ bike rides • Countless miles ran and walked • Countless songs strummed, sung and danced to • Daily meditations • 1 art gallery, 2 plays, 4 live shows, 3 dance performances watched • 20+ restaurants and eateries • 8 watercolor paintings completed • 20 blog posts written • Weekly visits to Foodland (haha) • Nearly 30 days of eating Poké (gotta lay off fish for awhile now) • 5 beaches • 2 major sunburns • 5 shades tanner • 12 strangers now friends • and reunited with 4 old friends from different parts of my life...

Though these are ways I can quantify my past month here in Hawai’i, more importantly what I leave with is a full heart of that same Aloha (that I know I've always carried in my soul, but was brought out to the maximum being here and all sabbatical) for all the adventures, surprises, self growth, warmth and joy I’ve experienced daily.

I think I'll have to save for a later date / later blog on how I've truly transformed being here, but for now, I'll wallow a bit and try to get over my withdrawals so I can enjoy the weekend to come. 

Talk Story and Aloha Tuesday

Talk Story and Aloha Tuesday

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Oh today was a day for goodbyes.  Feeling so sad right now but thankful for a full day of friendships and laughter and dance.  This studio was my home away from home... I took 25 yoga and various dance classes in my 28 days in Hawai'i and I'm bummed AF to not be going here anymore.

Karen, one of the women from the Still & Moving Center who had really gone out of her way to make sure I was OK throughout this month, had asked me for brunch before my Hula class.  It was incredibly sweet of her... she had said she wanted to send me off and talk story.  For those who don't know, the term "talk story" is a popular phrase in Hawai'i that really means spending time chatting, perhaps gossiping ;) sharing stories and catching up.  She had been so kind to me since I first came, sending me lists of recommendations on things to do and eat, so I was happy to share this time with her.  When we got seated to get our food, the talk story definitely started.  It was so awesome hearing her stories of how she and her husband met, the traveling they got to do all around the world (no wonder she's a book of recommendations!!!), hearing about her two sons, and so much more.  I do believe you can learn so much from our older generations, so I listened earnestly and asked probably one too many questions, but she was happy to share.

I shared with her in return stories of my life, my grandparents, my own parents, my own travels, what I've gained from this past month in Hawai'i and she came back with the fact that I came here already with the spirit of Aloha because of who I am.  She made me feel like I was a part of this place and belonged here (maybe because she was trying to convince me hard to move here permanently, lol) which made me really consider when I could possibly live here.  Hahaha, oh to dream. 

We walked together to Hula where Kumu Malia had our class do "Pua Kiele" for a final ode, if you will, to my last class.  I gave thanks to her, Doris, and Karen for being the women that truly taught me so much and gave them a small token of my appreciation (I had painted them each a watercolor).  We all then said our goodbyes... I didn't cry but I think it's because I just have a gut feeling I'll be back soon 😊

After I rested a bit at home, I went out for my last run around Magic Island.  It was bittersweet because it was such a gloomy day but still so beautiful... such a reflection of my feelings for this whole experience I've had so far in Hawai'i and having to leave it.  I felt a lot of different waves of emotions, much like the waves that continued to roll into the shore.  It was nice reflection time on my solo run but it started to rain a bit, hence I biked home to get home a bit quicker so I could start packing and get ready for dinner.

For the evening, Aaron took me out to dinner at Pig & the Lady and afterwards we walked to Proof to meet up with my gals from the dance studio for a final drink goodbye.  It was nice introducing Aaron to them and just all talking story 😜 about our own experiences here in Hawai'i.  My heart was just so full with love for my old friends and new friends and multiple hugs were exchanged as we promised to meet again in San Francisco.  I do hope that they know they can always call me and will do so when they visit.  Here are some silly photos of us as we ended our night:

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday

Sunday, April 1, 2018

So I didn't participate in Lent.  In fact, I skipped several services throughout this season all due to laziness or the schedule I had that I preferred over making time to get to church.  Jeff asked me recently if I was religious.  I honestly didn't know how to answer that because a big part of my upbringing was and I grew to resent that.  But was I associating being "religious" with something negative wrongly?  Because when I was explaining to him that I felt more inclined to say I was "spiritual" vs "religious" - he challenged me in what the difference was.

In my mind, being spiritual meant having a deeper relationship with God and being the most intentional in my beliefs than I have been before when I was going through the motions of attending church every Sunday and reciting prayers.  Being religious meant that I associated with a particular denomination (which I don't think I do, really) and lived the most correct path of a Christian (which unfortunately, I struggle with weekly).  However, as I was describing what I do believe and what I do uphold as a believer of Christ, he just stared at me and said... "so you're religious" Lol.  

Well, whatever it is that I am, I got up this morning and looked up services for Easter (perhaps 10% driven by guilt at my lackluster efforts this season).  However, that 90% of truly wanting to celebrate Jesus' rise today instilled in me excitement for trying out a church in Honolulu.  I originally wanted to make the 6AM Sunrise Service at Magic Island, but my inability to wake up early in the mornings + a night out definitely crossed that off my list quickly.  As such, I selected to go to InspireChurch - held at Kaimuki High School - for the 9AM service.  

Throughout it, I felt true comfort in celebrating just life in general.  The blessings that I've been reaping day after day here is all because of this season... because we get to live through His death.  And when I traced it all back to this beautiful celebration of His life, I celebrated my own a bit more fervently.  I'll keep it here, but the gratitude I felt to God for my safety, my health, my free will, everything I've encountered here and throughout my life's journey... woweeeee wow.  Praise Jesus.

After service, I was in a delightful mood (as I actually always feel after church; I really need to remind myself to go more often) and Jeff picked me up to get Poke and a Lei for Aaron's Ho'ike (hula performance).  What was really awesome was listening to Jeff reminiscing about his High School life as we walked through the halls of Mid-Pacific Institute where he and Aaron grew up.  It reminded me of how exactly I feel when I walk through my own halls of West Covina High School.  Growing up is such a bittersweet thing and I feel it all too deeply and hear it in the stories we tell each other when describing those days. 

Aaron's Kumu Hula instructed us that no video taping was allowed (we were essentially getting a sneak peak at their performances before their competition next week - which as Jeff describes it - is the Super Bowl of Hula competitions).  It was also to encourage us to truly be PRESENT and FEEL the emotions that a Hula performance really should exude vs being so caught up in our technologies of trying to capture it  (#HelloSocialMediaGeneration #DamnUsMillenials).  Watching Aaron and his Halau was such a nice local treat; especially because it wasn't for a luau, but a showcase for their competition, their precision and movements were nearly immaculate which was really impressive.  

After it was over, I got to give Aaron a lei and recite the "traditional saying" that goes along with gifting a lei.  I clearly read it terribly (see video above) but Jeff made me do it... mostly because he tricked me into thinking it was the "traditional saying" but really, he just put a bunch of words together to make up a dumb phrase (he told me this much later... Asshole...)  Hahaha.  In return, Aaron gave me his Haku Lei which he handmade himself; all the performers make their own headpieces and outfits - so cool!

Also, here's a selfie I took of my Haku Lei as Jeff made a pit stop to the restroom as we were leaving the High School.   No really, he legit said "I'm going to the restroom" and I said "OK, I'll take a selfie in the meantime."  So here we are:

For dinner, I stopped by Gilbert and Jimmy's place as it's likely the last time I see them before I fly out as well.  They made Easter dinner and we watched Trevor Noah's standup bit on Netflix.  It was really sweet of them to have been such great friends during my stay here.

UGH - I can't believe these last three days are going to just be all filled with saying goodbye.  SO. NOT. READY.