Shelter from the Storm

'Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
                                                       -- Bob Dylan

Guy Hagi reports storm hovering southwest of islands. Our new open space (above)

Who ever heard of 'sheltering in place.'?

A complete reboot for our lives.  Time to get romantic, creative, consider essentials, what's most important, least important and be in the present. Tomorrow is a myth, an idea. Create your own myth now. Write your own poem. Be your best self.

Like little worker bees, three days ago we began an energetic rearrangement of our condo, moving furniture around to accommodate our new reality. By sliding our dining table toward the window, we created a new open space.

The large chair that always seemed to block my passage and stub my big toe was given its own vignette under the stairway. No more bruised toenails.

The result gives us a less cluttered feeling, as if we cleaned out cobwebs that were obstructing movement within our minds. My simple mind, at least.

Now we have open space for dancing, yoga, tai chi and social distancing, if we have company. Not that we're inviting folks over to socialize. Including our beautiful grandchildren, unfortunately. Dab that tear running down Barbara's cheek.

Yesterday I "face-timed" with an old friend, Richie Ramirez, whom I hadn't seen in years. It was his birthday. There he was, in his home study in San Clemente, Calif. I sat on the couch here in Princeville as we caught up. As LD would say, it was prittay, prittay, prittay cool.

The rain that pelted the island has subsided, allowing folks to get outside for walks -- keeping a distance from each other, of course. Majestic waterfalls striped the local mountains.

The Princeville library and community center are closed. Both essential stations for our typical island life. We will adjust. In an act of safety, respect and aloha for kupuna (elders), Hawaii's main super market chain, Foodland, has announced exclusive hours of shopping for those 60 and over.

Acknowledging the seriousness of the pandemic, Governor David Ege has asked visitors to postpone trips to Hawaii for the next 30 days.

More rain forecast for Kauai. Gimme Shelter.