Going with the Flow

Kauai sunrise

Just yesterday a couple of friends from home asked me if I missed Santa Cruz. I had to think about it. Sheltering under quarantine for weeks on end, even in paradise, becomes tedious.

Pretty soon, we're all seeking answers, asking questions, reading books, watching Netflix, eating chips, washing and re-washing clothes, cleaning closets,  watching the news on TV, turning off the news on TV out of fear and contempt, eating more chips, seeing trailers of a heavily tattooed guy in shorts and boots playing with tigers and not wanting to go there, wondering when those books from Amazon will arrive, being presented with charts and graphs about the curve, wondering when all this will end, if it ever will.

Then, coincidentally, through email and text, the same question arrives on my screen. I hear a ping on my iPhone announcing a message from the mainland.

"Do you miss Santa Cruz?"

The question is presented at the end of a communication, so it is essentially a wrap-up statement. Like, I hope you're doing well, or say "hi" to Barbara.

Wrap-up phrases take all forms. Being trapped on Kauai while trying to soak up as much local culture  as possible --- lovely, flowing island music and eye-grabbing flowers -- I feel a simple "aloha" at the end of a missive works well.

It is an expression of love and more. Aloha expresses a spirit, a way of life, an appreciation of nature and friendship.

Other Hawaiian sayings include "Be Pono," which means be "righteous." This phrase appears on trash containers, car windows and the most unexpected places, such as a sticker on a post. It becomes a subliminal reminder.

Then there is the hand sign that means "Shaka." The thumb and pinky extended on one hand that essentially expresses meaning -- hang loose. Relax. Go with the flow. When a local throws me a Shaka, I feel accepted, like being part of a brotherhood.

My Hawaiian music teacher once told me, following a discussion about people's excuses for not attending a group lesson on a windy day at the beach, "Mainlanders have a hard time going with flow."

There's a lot flow going on out here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. During our frequent visits we have encountered floods, mudslides, hurricane warnings and downpours of rain that make your teeth rattle. It's a way of life. Not to mention the flying cockroaches, creeping centipedes and tiny mosquitoes

Fighting the flow is counter productive.

Do I miss Santa Cruz?

My answer: I miss my dog, Frida. I miss my family and friends, many of whom I continue to communicate with. I miss taking care of my house and puttering around my yard. But right this minute, I believe what I would miss more is being surrounded by green mountains with waterfalls,  jungly flora, kaleidoscopic skies and a big blue-on-blue ocean. The flow. If I were in Santa Cruz, I would miss the flow more.