It has been two weeks since I (and my many oversized suitcases) have arrived on the Big Island of Hawaii. As a person who resists change with every fiber of my being, this drastic relocation has brought its fair share of painful moments. However, the beautiful times have far outweighed the uncomfortable ones and I have been finding so much joy and opportunities of learning in the midst of a few small trials.
The first of these trials was finding myself in a strange new condo. For as long as I can remember, I have had a tendency to become irrationally attached to inanimate objects. Which is not really a problem until something happens and you lose said inanimate object. My attachments are particularly strong towards wherever my current home happens to be, so moving tends to be a pretty traumatic experience. Fortunately, I am aware of my condition and was able to mentally prepare myself for the inevitable moments of crying to go “home”. The reminder that this IS my home is not always comforting, but the reality of the situation somehow is and I manage to pull through those emotional moments. The upside of my “inanimate-attachment-commitment-disorder” is that after two weeks of living here I have completely fallen in love with my new, cozy little dwelling. It’s small, but cute. Easy to clean, simple and sweet. On a clear day, I can sit on the patio while drinking my coffee and have a spectacular view of Mt. Mauna Kea. I already know that I will cry when I have to leave it. It is what I do.
The second of these trials is the shockingly fickle weather we have here in Hawaii. As a California girl, any weather other than severe drought is exciting. The drizzly rain, fog and humid days in my new town were initially a delightful change from Sacramento’s horrid August summer. Enter the hurricanes. I was privileged enough to be greeted in Hawaii by not one, but TWO hurricanes passing through the area. Fortunately, they never actually came TOO near my town (or so I have been told), but the winds and rain from Madeline terrified two of my evenings and had me convinced that my bedroom windows were going to shatter in the night, impaling me and leaving me either dead or maimed. Neither of those things happened…although I’m still convinced that it came close. I was even prepared to hide in the closet by the water heater just in case the windows did start cracking. Preparedness!!! I stocked up on water and canned goods, made sure I had flashlights and candles and listened to all the weather updates. Night two of Madeline I fell asleep feeling proud and confident in myself that I was used to this tropical storm weather. I listened to the wind howling, the rain slashing against my windows, and the walls creaking ominously; I felt smug and very “local” since I wasn’t (very) scared. But then…alas, my confidence came to a shuddering halt when I woke in the middle of the night to the bed and walls violently shaking. In the midst of the crazy hurricane weather, we also were graced with the presence of an earthquake. I lost all my local confidence, freaked out and was thankful to be alive when morning came.
Finally…my refrigerator quit on me the day after I bought a boat load of food from Costco and I was fairly convinced I would have to throw it all out but then everything worked out in the end and I don’t even want to talk about it because the it was a horribly stressful experience that I handled VERY well and I am just thankful that it is all over with and none of my food went bad. PHEW.
So here I sit…two weeks in: survivor of hurricanes, earthquakes, homesickness and faulty refrigerators. In love with my home. Not even close to being local. Excited about the future and the adventures I am sure I will experience.