Tai'd Up at the Bay

Hanalei 3/20/2020

Saturdays on the north shore of the island are usually Farmers Market day. Local vendors and growers bring their goods to the open-air community markets in Hanalei and Kilahuea.

Their offerings include fresh lettuce, bananas, papayas, avocados, kale, baked bread and pastries, local grass-fed beef, fresh flowers and an assortment of local produce that I haven't begun to understand.

It's a community vibe, great for meeting your neighbors and for people watching.

The Farmers Markets are now closed. Community is beginning to have another meaning. Check your iPhone for more information.

My Saturday ritual begins on the shore of Hanalei Bay near the Pavilion, whose name is the surf break, Pavilions, directly in front.

Local healer Skip Rush and his lovely wife Donna lead our group of mostly kupuna in a slow-moving "dance" that resembles a class of pantomime artists attempting to express a secret or ancient language by waving hands and kicking feet in slow motion.

It's called Tai Chi, an original martial art.

It comes from China. (Relax, that was a long time ago.) The flowing hands were supposed to fool the authorities who would not permit subjects to practice martial art. A sign of potential rebellion.

The slower and more wavier the movements the less worrisome for the rulers. And the more difficult to control my anxious body.

While we perform our strange dance, beachgoers pass by with nary a second look, except for youngsters, who notice and study everything they see. I wonder what they're thinking and how their parents will explain the odd sight to the kids.

"Those are old people trying to keep their balance," they probably say. Which has some truth to it.

Social distance seems fairly loose among the beach people and few surfers checking the waves. Our group of kupuna are more perspicacious, adhering to protocol. Am I staying six-feet away from Nancy? Don't run into Lee. Where's Mary Kay?

The sound of surf makes a nice background as waves curl and break into foamy rushes. The air is still and humid. Sky is grey with low-ceiling clouds. A high-surf advisory is forecast for today.

Out at "The Bowl" some 200-yards from the shore, larger waves rise on the horizon, as a few riders slide down the faces that briefly hold up before smoothing out.

I watch the bay waters in a state of silent, waving-hands meditation. This is it. Be in the present. Soak it up.

Following the hour-long session, we gather round Grand Master Skip who wears a white tai chi uniform. His expression is serious as he acknowledges our present state of affairs without ever saying the word. We all know.

He reminds us that it's a time to be diligent.

 "Remember honesty, integrity and compassion."

Most Saturdays our next move would be the Farmers Market. Today, I scramble back to the condo where my next move is to wash my hands.