The month of March was 3 weeks in Hawaii being submerged into farm girl, back to Oly for less than a week and then to Texas to a conference for 4 days and now I am here in Oly again - home that is.
This time I am having a hard time readjusting - actually i guess I did last time, too. I mean I am very happy here, especially with Ariel now moved in upstairs with Em, the 2 dogs, and plenty busy-ness around them and that, but very hard to adjust to the dynamic again of being here, being into work and home when I am starting to have a mental home in the middle of the ocean. I went from those three submerged weeks of feeling what life could be like in Hilo, and loving it, loving the every-dayness of it, starting to feel important and essential, to being plopped back into my "real life" which has nothing to do with it. Here's a typical day:
-wake up to sun slanting into my eyes, that cardinal singing in the leggy tree; the sun lights up the inside of the mosquito net around our bed so it is like being inside a glowing nest
-seeing that it's early, and that there's a big cloud that the sun is about to go behind
-lazing a little more, while Dan sleeps and eventually startles me by saying, wide awake-like, Good Morning!
-I ask him if he dreamt, planning to share the snippet I remember, and he goes off on a 20-minute full feature adventure-drama (maybe he has dreamed of flying... ) while I slowly lose my snippet
-Jason or Bear or Joy come into the kitchen and say something amusing-teasing (Jason) or apologetic (Joy) or just "good risin', what're you doin today" (Bear)
-and so we get up... share a huge papaya or make some oatmeal
-Dan goes up to work on the road - hops on the noisy dirt bike, dashes off like a kid with his safari-style hat flapping - up the hill to where his big Cat is, doing a job for a neighbor
-I commence puttering - transplant some seedlings, feed the chickens, maybe some laundry, work on the Farm Plan or another computer task related to farm
-Go for a run, up and down the hills, get drizzled on just as I'm getting hot, maybe at the end go down through the bamboo patch to the waterfall pond, swim about in the cold water
-back up at the house chat with jason, maybe do a little yoga, take a shower
-make lunch for dan, who usually comes down around 2; something like leftover lentils made into a salad with chips and guac
-he eats it with great appreciation for the presence of myself and my preparation of food for him
-he then does some computer stuff; or maybe returns to the project and I return to puttering.
The evenings are stir-fries with fish eaten in the dark, and either some music making or taking turns checking e-mail and facebook and just chatting until bed.
So, there I was all immersed, and then plop back I come on a Monday overnight flight, Ariel gets me, home we come, big house, lots of news; that week Emily and I help Ariel move down; things in Oly keep reminding me of Hilo; I go to work 3 days, do a ton of stuff, Emily has not found a good option for the fall but is trying hard to get applications in everywhere that might make sense, I help with a financial aid form, UHawaii Hilo fee, then off to Texas on Monday.
Texas (Austin) is very surreal and I miss Hawaii very much, hearing the mourning doves and seeing palms and feeling warmth. Although super busy and distracted and involved I am also lonely for Dan. But I am present, not distant, taking it all in, making friends, exploring, focusing hard on how to bring the messages of public health impacts from climate change to people who are increasingly suspicious of any such science.
My highlight is the last morning, I go for a long run and discover a juice bar that has Hilo-natural food store essence, get a "Thai Wonderful" juice of carrot, ginger, beet, coconut, cayenne wow, it was just perfect and very Hawaii, am able to keep running because it was light enough but nourishing. Then to the outdoor pool (staying at the Four Seasons) where it feels very Texas as I swim in warm chlorine and sunbathe under a skyscraper listening to Fleetwood Mac ("I am, waiting for the suun, to come uup, I can't heear, you're small voice... " no no! I checked, it's "I can't sleeep, with your warm waays" (!!).
Well my point here in this long randomly illustrated post was how I am going to make all this happen. The strategic plan connecting my kids here on the mainland, family on the east coast, with my new life and my love and my passion out in ridiculously impractical Hawaii.
I have not fully itemized that plan but as this is so long I will leave it at that for now. Sorry no pics from Texas, it looks just like the Four Seasons website (used to say, postcard) so original pictures seemed silly.
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