Kathie's Adventure - Week 5

I'm nearing the end of my 5th week here on Maui and nearly a month on my own. Most days I'm still getting along with myself but it's good I have a few distractions to get me out of the condo and out of my head so that I don't go out of my mind!

The sense of 'island time' is seeping into my activities. It takes me much longer to complete tasks than it used too, which has nothing to do with my age. Rest assured however that my paid work is getting done just as efficiently as it used too. No slacking there. But the personal tasks I wish to complete have no sense of urgency about them. I am still working on the initial cleaning of the condo. You would think I'm trying to clean 7000 square feet but it's only 700! It's mostly the book shelves that are needing attention now and I received a batch of boxes this week that included some books so that might give me some incentive. Maybe tomorrow...

Then there's the whole 'finish my resume' project. Those words have been coming out of my mouth for a couple of weeks now and the closest I've gotten to that is pulling the folder out of the file box. Maybe tomorrow...

So you must be asking yourself (since I sometimes ask myself this same question), "What in the heck is she doing with all her time?" Well, you will be surprised to learn I am not constantly walking in the sand, sitting on the beach, swimming in the ocean, or taking photos. If you will remember from my last blog (assuming you read it!) I was going to do some volunteering. To prove it, I have some photos.

This is the trail project. We cleared this area of it's scrubby weeds and shrubs the first week I worked, put the drip line in last Monday, and these photos were from the planting day on Thursday. Maui's expert 'native plant' person joined us and brought the plants to be used. This specific spot on the trail has a monument that will have signage identifying the course of the sun setting during the year. There are white coral markers (which you can also see lining the path) that line up with the solstices and the equinox. It's not a huge variance since we are near the equator. The white coral was washed onto a nearby beach during a storm a number of years ago. It is like the skeleton of the coral. It was historically used to line the ancient Hawaiian paths so we were given permission to line this path with it. Since this is state land, and very much governed by the Hawaiians, nothing can be done without approval. I will enjoy watching the native plants grow and add beauty as I walk the trail.

My other volunteer job is at the library. The first week I shelf read a row. It really needed it! I thought I would continue into the next section yesterday when I was there but there was a weeks worth of DVD's that needed to be put away and then shelved. That was more urgent since the weekend was looming and they would be in demand. I had fun doing it and, because I was in the back with the staff I got to meet some of them. They didn't take any pictures of me working so you'll just have to trust me.

I'm trying to learn the Hawaiin language, which consists of only 12 letters. (A E I O U H K L M N P W) This process is slower because of my age! I've learned how the vowels are pronounced, so now I go around sounding out and saying all the words I can so that I can get more comfortable with the sounds. Someday soon I hope to be able to say the street names in my town.

It is certainly an adventure I've embarked upon and I feel blessed to be able to have this experience. I do have days, or at least moments within my days, when I miss my old life, the easy familiarity and sharing and laughing with all my wonderful friends and family. But there is something about this place that has always felt like home to me and I know I will make friends as time goes on. So each day I look at the beauty that surrounds me and look for ways to be a part of it and add to it, and remember the beauty in each of you.

From Maui with Love

Aloha at last!

So then, how to begin... It has been a busy time settling in and that process will continue for awhile. Mike was here with me the first week. We spent the week in semi-vacation mode. That included cleaning, walking on the beach, cleaning, sitting on the beach, rearranging furniture, cleaning, buying a car (2002 Honda Civic), cleaning, sitting on the beach, shopping at Costco, eating, setting up a bank account, getting a library card, watching the sunset, going on a whale watch cruise, and relaxing in the hot tub. It's really a good thing he was here to help me relax, otherwise I would have only been cleaning, cleaning, rearranging the furniture, cleaning...you get the idea. My internet connection got started about a week after I arrived. From that point forward I added bookkeeping ‘catch-up’ to the list of activities above. The first part of the month is a busy time with the bookkeeping and I had many hours of things to get done. It was all a somewhat new set up and so, once Mike left, I spent the next week mostly in front of the computer. But, the computer breaks were delightful since the beach is less than 5 minutes away. A slow walk with my feet in the sand and the surf at my side grounded me and I was ready to tackle the computer again. The best part is that I don’t even have to bundle up to go outside for a walk! Grab my slippers (flip-flops) and I’m ready to go.

Having the work to do has been a good thing because it helps me to realize that I am NOT on vacation. I have been here nearly 3 weeks now, which is the longest I've ever stayed, and I'm slowly finding my way. As I finish the backlog of bookkeeping I'm beginning to have a little more time to be open to my world here. I am certainly in 'observation' mode, simply taking in the environment, the language, the energy, the warmth, and anything else that comes into my awareness, (such as the amount of cleaning I still have to do). As I observe I am feeling where I want to spend my energy and time. I am very happy in the observation mode and it's very comfortable for me. But I need to begin to break out of it and 'put my toe in the water' (yes, I've already been swimming numerous times so I'm just using the cliche as a pun, in case you didn't get it...). So, beginning this week I will volunteer a couple of hours each week at the local library (they are in dire need of shelf reading!). I am volunteering tomorrow morning to help with a trail clean up/building along the waterfront nearby. It's a great little trail that I've been using so I want to help with the process and it gets me involved a little and it will be an opportunity to meet and talk with others. I spend a lot of my time alone right now, and not that the conversation's not witty and stimulating, but some new insights and perspectives never hurt. (I'm sure they'll all be delighted to hear all I have to say!)

Here's a link to a beach cam http://www.mauirealestate.net/video.html It's at the end of the beach where I walk a lot. You may have a live stream picture on the top of the page or just a still shot. Let me know if you want to set up a 'beach wave' sometime. I can walk down there, you can pull up the site and you'll be able to see me. Unfortunatly I won't be able to see you...sigh.

Perhaps now I will be able to post to my blog more regularly, but not if it takes me as long as this one did!

Here's a few pictures of my world.