2013 Grateful 52

I’ve been burning the candle at both ends for quite a while. Months, in fact. Life has been busy. Work has been manic. And I find it difficult to say no. But I’m getting better. My trouble is that although I know I don’t  have the time or the energy, if a project sounds interesting and will teach me something, then even though my brain says NO! my mouth says YES! The result is that in 2012, I sometimes had to pull all-nighters to get through it all. This year, I’m resolving to take better care of my eyes, my body, and my self. I’m going to better manage my time, and take more time for me.

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The first step down this road of resolution, was to catch up on my sleep. I’d  run out of sleep credit and had gotten to the stage that to sleep through the night was a miracle. I needed some serious down time and where better to find it than in Hawaii. Life on the big island is slow and laid back. People are of the ‘early to bed, early to rise’ ilk and the restorative power of the sun cannot be underestimated.

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Sun, I hear you say? Sun? Yes, I know I’m no great lover of the sun, and would prefer 20 below to 40 above any day, but sunsets are a different story. Down at Kawaihae Harbour (one of the two main harbours on the Big Island of Kona) one evening, we sat watching the sun go down. Situated in North Kohala, it was here in 1793 that the first horses and cattle brought the island were docked. It’s still in operation and is also a good sighting point for humpbacked whales.

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Often home to the Makalii, one of three traditional Hawaiian sailing canoes, it was from here that  King Kamehameha and his entourage set out in canoes to conquer the neighbouring islands. It didn’t take much to imagine what life might have been like back then. A couple of sailboats dotted the horizon and had I been able to bottle the salt-aired serenity, I’d be a very rich woman. That night, I slept like a baby – for the third night in a row. I woke at 6.30 am, fully awake. Perhaps it’s the sea air. Perhaps it’s the sun. Perhaps it’s the company. Whatever it is, this week, I’m truly grateful that I’ve rediscovered the joy of sleep and to my friends D&SF for sharing their refuge with me and being there for me over the years.

Way back in 1994, I visited an old boyfriend in Washington State. We spent the weekend at Ocean Shores with D&SF and their friends M&DW. That last-minute change to my travel plans resulted in a friendship that has spanned nearly 20 years. When I moved back to the States later that year, I went to live with them in Longview, Washington, where they graciously adopted me as one of their own for nine months and even forgave me for flooding their home with suds when I put washing-up liquid in the dishwasher!

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Note: For a reminder of what the Grateful series is about, check out Grateful 52

9 Responses

  1. With great respect, and much more than admiration for you, I think you are destined to burn your candle at both ends and quite often at several places in between. That generous YOU Mary. Do try though. C.M.

  2. With great respect, and much more than admiration for you, I think you are destined to burn your candle at both ends and quite often at several places in between. Thats generous YOU Mary. Do try though. C.M.

  3. What a beautiful blog Mary, but yes I tend to agree with CM – this is you, you always need something ‘new’ to learn and to do. Can you really sit back and think – I dont have to do anything? You HAVE to be busy. But…… you are the most interesting person I know yet – you have been there, done that and got the T Shirt. Do take care of your health though …… no second chance with that.

    God Bless

  4. Having read this fascinating series all in one go (I have been elsewhere as it appeared, and unable to keep up) I can only say that Hawaii may be a long way to go for a good night’s sleep, but if envy is indeed a mortal sin I’m ready cooked!! Of course you’re quite right – fail to say the occasional ‘No’ and you spread yourself so thin that holes appear.

    And if you’re a collector of sunsets, try Alderney. I’ll never forget the first time I saw the sun go down behind the Casquettes on a summer evening . . .

  5. Thank you for letting us once again show you around our island home, and you know that you always will have a room with a bed no matter where we end up. Fate has a funny way of bringing people into our lives, and making them friends or friends that become family which in Hawaii we would call Hanai (adopted), and you have been our adopted family for many years now. If you can put up with the craziness of this house you can do anything.
    Aloha my friend for now, but we will see you soon, mahalo for your friendship.

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