Still Here

Ah... I am still here. I'm sure you were wondering. It has been many months since my last post. Here's a quick update: Still on Maui; still doing bookkeeping from home; still with Lahaina Cruise Company; still trying to get to the beach every Sunday. Other than that much has changed. Too much to try to post but, in my last post I said, "nothing is permanent" and that holds true. Life is very fluid right now and I am living in limbo. Perhaps it's a reflection of what the whole nation/world is experiencing. These last few months have been full of visitors and adventures. It has been a joy to see so many familiar faces on the island this year. There have been new friends and friendships I've developed as well. This trend is continuing as I get ready to head to the mainland to meet up with my sister and visit with family in CO and WY. My blog time is up since I am heading out to a Luau to watch a hula performance of a friend. Stay tuned...

I always think of fabulous things to say on my blog, when I'm not blogging. Things like "Posting procrastination has been prolific! I feel I need to post pretty pictures of perfection in paradise or don't post at all. But we all know that nothing is perfect, or permanent, so please allow me to prattle on about panic in paradise."

OK, that was fun.

Now for the prattling. I woke the other morning and, in my habitual way, brought in the daily paper and glanced at the headlines (you've all seen the gloomy outlook in your news headlines I'm sure) and my emotions tumbled downward and FEAR set in. I wallowed in that for awhile, feeling totally insecure and isolated. WHY, WHY, WHY did I give up my secure little world in Washington? Poor me, so far away and disconnected from everybody! I opened my yoga mat and sat and really let myself feel how afraid I was and then began to realize it was the uncertainty and insecurity that the fear grew from. But, I've had enough yoga (and life) training to know that NOTHING is really permanent so my grasping to find security is just a mental practice anyway. I randomly opened one of my books by Pema Chodron, "When Things Fall Apart" and read the following sentence: "The journey of patience involves relaxing, opening to what's happening, experiencing a sense of wonder." This was enough to shrivel the fear back into it's pod to wait for another opportunity to sprout. I am healthy, I have a job, and I have much to be grateful for. Those words I read invited me to shift my perspective in that direction and let go of the panic. I have no control over the happenings in the world and can only control my reaction to them. I will try to remember to react with love and compassion rather than fear and contraction and be aware and awake in the present moment and not dwell on the 'What if's' and 'If only's'. It's not easy and I need to constantly remind myself but I try.

OK, that's off my chest. Thanks for listening and now on to other things - weather whining.

If it wasn't for the palm trees in my view I might think I'm still in Seattle. The last 2-3 days have been mostly gray and a little dreary. OK, OK, I know... you guys are still getting snow so it's not exactly like Seattle. We also had about 3-4 days of straight wind that included gusts between 30-50 mph. That got old since it was a constant whistle through my sliding door (or was it ear to ear?). Temperatures were cooler than ever. A record low of 51 was hit one morning. I know, not exactly like Seattle. I'm just saying, it has been cold for here. You just need to know that it's not always blue skies and sunny days here. I haven't had a beach day in over a month! No wonder I'm depressed.

OK, that's it for the down side of things.

I have a job and it's going well. I have gotten the back log of things caught up and am getting it into a flow. I feel like I have a little free time to read, watch movies, walk on the beach (weather permitting :)), yoga practice, wallow in fear, watch bananas grow, or whatever else strikes my fancy. I have been on a couple of whale watching trips and it is fabulous to see the whales close up. I have started using the bus for a portion of my commute. That is giving me a little more exercise because I have a little bit of a walk from the bus stop to work and a portion of the trip where I don't have to watch the road, to say nothing of a little cost and energy savings. I'm trying to do my part to soften my footprint on the island.

A couple of weeks ago it was "Whale Day" in Kihei. (Perhaps gecko day would have been appropriate since they are everywhere!) There was a parade in the morning and then fabulous music, arts/crafts, and food in the park all day long. I was very grateful that I don't work Saturdays anymore or I wouldn't have been able to enjoy the festivities. It was a fun day. I do get tired of doing most things by myself but I'm working on putting a little more energy into connecting with others, at least thinking about it.

The clouds are a little lighter and the sun in trying to shine through so it seems like it's time for a walk on the beach.

Aloha!

New year, new job

Aloha and happy new year! I have been 'crazy busy' since Mike went back to the mainland on Jan 12th. It was great to have him here. Christmas was very strange since it never really felt like Christmas at all - no snow, no parties with friends, no family gatherings, only sunshine and snorkeling. (I know all of you in Washington had more white Christmas than you cared for!) Because my job at the library had ended I was able to spend time vacationing with Mike. We took a short visit over to the big island, did a fair amount of snorkeling, 'beaching', relaxing and even got a little maintenance done around the condo. I was applying for jobs while he was here but no one ever called me for an interview. Like elsewhere, people are cutting back so there are not a lot of job openings and many applicants. As much as I didn't want to start a new job while Mike was here, I did have panic moments about not getting any call backs. As it turned out, the universe was just listening to my wish. 4 days after Mike left I started a new job. Early Thursday morning, Jan 15th, I responded to a job announcement I received online and within 30 minutes they called, I interviewed that afternoon, and started work Friday Jan 16th. Once more, I am SO amazed and grateful how life unfolds. So, I'm sure your asking, "Well, what are you doing?" and I am so glad you asked. Head to this site: http://www.mauiprincess.com/ I am working in the office part time (just what I hoped for) doing accounts payable and receivable. One of the perks is being able to go out on the boats any time. Because of the economy and the decrease in visitors to the islands right now they are having their struggles like many companies. I was impressed with their longevity in the business and with the people I met in the office so I am happy to be a part of the company and hope to help them stay afloat until the economy begins to turn around. After my experience at the library here, I am glad to be surrounded by people who care about the work they do and the company they work for. It is so much healthier! As of today I am officially part of the state of Hawaii because I finally got my driver's license changed over. I can now get the discounts offered to the "kama'aina's" (officially translated as 'native born' but used to refer to locals). It is humpback whale season and I did some training in December at the national humpback whale sanctuary here in Kihei. I am hoping to do some volunteering but, with the training the last two weekends at the new company (to be listed as LCC (Lahaina Cruise Company) in this and future blogs) and getting all the quarterly and year end work done for my other bookkeeping work, I haven't had any spare hours. But, it may begin to shift into a kind of flow with a M-W-F schedule at LCC and the other bookkeeping in between as needed. With that flow, I'm hoping space will open to go hang out at the whale sanctuary and learn more. Friday morning I'm heading out on a whale watch tour on one of our boats. The whales are abundant right now so I'm looking forward to seeing them up close. Here are a couple sunset pictures and one moonset picture to end this post and this day. Blessings to you all...

Happy Thanksgiving

Mike has been here for nearly two weeks, one of which I have been unemployed. It's been nice to have time to relax. Today is Thanksgiving and we spent the morning at the beach. This afternoon we will be celebrating the holiday by the pool with a group of Canadians that are here every year at this time. We will be the token Americans to give legitimacy to their celebration. We will have barbecued turkey and all the trimmings! Mike is getting involved with me on my Monday morning volunteer work. Here is a picture from his first week here. We had a good size work crew that day. We get people on vacation dropping in to help and now seasonal regulars are coming back to the area and returning to help. It can be hard work sometimes but rewarding. We will be having a couple people we know here on the island during the next couple of weeks so there will be social time ahead. We also have a short trip planned to the big island to visit with Uncle Bob and Betty, who we purchased the condo from. I'll keep you posted on our adventures. Aloha.

I'm still here!!

Remember me??? I have been very slow getting to my blogging but here I am again. One of my last posts was about my library job so it's very appropriate that I am now writing again because my job here is ending VERY soon, Friday 11/21/08 to be exact. They had a few internal applicants from other branches and had to hire from that batch so I'm outta here! I have mixed feelings about leaving but mostly I'm happy to be removing myself from the environment. At this point I have nothing else lined up for work so that feels a bit uncomfortable but I am trusting that something will come along when the time is right. I found this library job quicker than I had expected so a little time off now is just fine, especially since Mike arrives on Sunday and will be here for two months. With just the bookkeeping work we will have more time to spend together. I can pretend I'm on vacation too, except not spend much money in the process just in case... I had a lovely time in Seattle in September but I was happy to get back here and continue my 'settling in' process. The first week back felt lonely after spending so much time with so many wonderful people but I got back in the swing of solitude. I am meeting more people as time goes on and there are certainly many more familiar faces I see regularly in my outings. I am still doing the volunteer work on the trail at least twice a month. There is a group called South Maui Sustainability that I am interested in and have attended some of their public information meetings and a couple of other events as well. One of their projects involves community gardens and I am getting involved with that. It's just getting started so I don't know yet what the involvment will look like. Another group I am interested in is the Kihei Community Association (KCA). They are involved with projects in the community and also act as representatives of the city in the county government. I am trying to learn more about where I'm living and the issues around here so that I can better understand my environment. It's a very new thing for me to get involved in these kind of things and I have much to learn. I took a ballroom dance class for a session and I'm thinking of taking a hula class. Tat this point I'll wait until after the 1st of the year, after Mike leaves, and then look into it more. I am going with a friend to see Sonny Ching this weekend. He is a name in hula over here. I have a ukulele and I have been practicing on that a little and did attend a ukulele festival a couple of weeks ago so I could here professionals. It won't be long until I'm on stage too! (HA!) I do still get to the beach, once a week to just swim and enjoy the warmth of the sand, and a few evenings a week to enjoy the sunset. In fact, I find myself getting a little crabby if I miss a couple days in a row of not getting my feet in the sand. That is why I'm here after all! Aloha!

Mangoes

It dawned on me as I was eating a local, luscious, juicy sweet mango today why 'Sark' wrote a book called "Eat Mangoes Naked" http://www.planetsark.com/eshop_products_books_feat_02.htm I've only had the store bought imported variety previously and always felt a little 'ho-hum' about them, good but not decadent, so could never understand the connection. The light bulb came on. Just thought you'd like to know what paradise pleasures I've enjoyed today. Hau'oli to you all. Love Kathie

Life at the library

Caution: the following photos may not be as appealing or pretty as previous blogs and the information could be a little unsettling. Please remember, nothing is permanent and challenges can be blessings in disguise.

Library

Finally some time to sit and write. I haven't wanted to spend the bit of free time I have in front of the computer but I've had a couple of relaxing days with time at the beach and time around the house so I'm ready to blog!

I am feeling much more settled in my new environment. There were some tough times in May but with the structure of work and recent social opportunities, along with some herbs and yoga practices, I'm beginning to feel more balanced after the crazy times getting ready for the move and the transition here.

My job at the library involves getting all the new items for our branch shelf ready. This requires great skill, like where to put the barcode and other stickers so as not to cover important information while still keeping with the typical placements for each sticker. It also involves book covers, spine tape and other miscellaneous stuff and there is some computer work to enter each item into the system. It is very relaxed and slow paced right now because there is not much new coming in since it's the end of the fiscal year. This is just fine because it's given me a chance to learn the process and get a feel of the place. I spend most of my time in the back workroom with the cat. Yes, a real cat. It was brought in as a stray kitten and has been there since. It is having emotional withdrawals because the person I've replaced used to pay attention to it and I'm not real keen about it being there and just pretty much ignore it. There are enough fur balls floating around the place, perhaps I should gather them and make another cat out it to keep Junior (cat's name) company.

Juniorback roommy desk

I help out with the circulation desk on occasion and assist the children's librarian with the summer reading program and story time. Overall I like what I'm doing and the potential of the place. The branch is a medium size library (although, the largest on Maui) and has a great trust fund someone left that allows us to offer programs and purchase things beyond what the state budget allows. The employee benefits (should I ever obtain a permanent position) are great and include a few extra days off because of state holidays such as King Kamehameha day.

I love my commute to work, 1 easy walking or biking mile. On days I walk I enjoy an abundance of sensual pleasures since my path takes me along a sandy beach and then through a large park. In the mornings I enjoy the beginning surfers tackling the waves; the canoe club rowers heading out for practice; many people out walking and enjoying the fresh stillness of the morning air and the gentle waves connecting with the shore. The evening walk has it's own flavor of entertainment. Fisherman; musicians; volleyball games; wind creating music in the palm trees; barbeque's. It's a delight to unwind and warm up after spending a day in air conditioning.

It could be an ideal place to while away a couple relaxed years since it runs on island time. But there are a few troubling issues and I'm not sure of the best way to lay them out. Maybe start at the base. 1) The place is grimy, especially the back room. Imagine a dry, dusty climate and the grit it creates and then add cat hair to it and then not clean it very often. Ick you say? Yes, I agree and I'm really not a fussy house cleaner. We have someone with the label of 'janitor' but, from my observation does a minimal amount of work and spends the rest of his time reading or being elusive. 2) The baby. One of the circ staff (also a temporary person) had a baby a year ago and the manager didn't want to lose her so she said she could bring the baby to work. The baby had her 1st birthday a couple of weeks ago. Her grandma works part time in the library as the security person and spends her time babysitting. The baby is getting more mobile and is more discontent with being contained in a stroller so now she follows grandma around in a baby walker and is fussy a lot of the time. I feel sorry for the baby and it feels very inappropriate. The break room is like a day care since there's a playpen and other baby items, including a crying baby a lot of the time. 3) Nepotism. You may have caught on that there are at least two in a family that work there - Grandma and her daughter (baby's mom). The janitor is the son AND there is another circ gal who has been filling in a lot who is also a daughter. Now, this wouldn't really bother me normally but that equals half the staff and a there are some poor work ethics which push my buttons. The two sisters live together and are typically 30-60 minutes late every day. One of them spends time on myspace when there is plenty of work to do. Their work does not affect me (except the janitors) so I try to let it go. I've learned the hard way it's the best thing to do right now. 4) The manager. Imagine a 'professional' person, my age, talking to her boss and saying in a snotty, whiny voice, "Whatever. I don't want to talk any more. Just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it." Or, quizzing me about the whereabouts of one of the employees who she has personality conflicts with and then making a comment about the lady's lack of work (and she is one that DOES work) and telling me, again in a snotty voice, "you can tell her I said that". Maybe I'll pass her a note. She has a teenager's emotional/mental attitude in a middle age body. She has many physical issues and is in a lot of pain and has no real energy to put into work. I try to have compassion for her but... She really sets a bad example and so it's no big surprise that people take advantage of the situation. She does always have a jigsaw puzzle going in her office so I get occasional puzzle time in.

This job fell in my lap so I feel like I'm there for a reason and am willing to give it some time and see if there is a shift in the system somewhere. There may be some changes coming down from higher up that may force some accountability. However, changes here are slow in coming. It's a challenge for me to keep my mouth shut but at least I can vent with the children's librarian and one of the other employees. They see it all and feel the same way I do so I'm not alone in my perception of it. I do keep a look out for other work possibilities as well.

So, that's the job for now. On to brighter subjects. My daughter and ex-sister-in-law are coming for a visit in a couple of weeks. I'll take the time off work while they're here and play. We have a quick trip scheduled to the big island, Hawaii, to visit Uncle Bob who I bought the condo from. They will be my first guests so I'm excited to share my new home with them.

Here's some photos to enjoy to get the grit out of your mouth. I think of you all often. Aloha!