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...