Feeling the need to "Hele" back to "Hawaii Nei!"

As many of you who know me can attest, I have a tendency to bounce around all over the country. Whether out of sheer boredom or chasing some crazy dream, I can always find a reason to move to a new and exciting place. In 2006 I moved to Hawaii only to leave again in 2008. However, something happened when I landed in Hawaii. I found a place that truly made me happy. If it wasn’t for silly reasons (chasing another dream) I never would have left. Therefore, its time to “Hele” back on over to Hawaii Nei. This time for good!

Everything was “Pono” when I lived there. I was mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically healthy. In fact, I was losing weight everyday, hitting the gym, hiking and surfing nonstop. I love the lifestyle and the culture more than anywhere that I have ever lived. I truly connect with the Polynesian cultures that are shared on the islands. To this day I get choked up when I hear the beautiful “mele” (music) and think about the islands. I have never felt that way about anyplace before. When I was young, growing up in Scottsdale Arizona, I would wander around the neighborhood barefoot. My mother would jokingly comment that I would be called on my LDS mission to live in the islands of Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti etc. Although she was joking, little did I know that her prediction would come true, only it would come true years after the days of my religious mission to Philadelphia. I loved my days in Philly and NYC. I truly love the east coast, but it doesn’t feel the same as my time in Hawaii. A friend of mine from Hawaii who is a “Kumu” Hula instructor would comment that I was a local boy in a “Haole” body. She would say “you need find yourself one local girl” and “I nevah met a Haole boy who like Poi before…you sure you not from heah?”

Although the dream that I chased to Portland didn’t pan out, since moving here I have met some great friends and have found a great job. However, I am not happy like I was in Hawaii. I am often tired and have even gained back all of the weight that I lost on the island. With a family history of diabetes and heart problems, this concerns me. I am craving stability and look forward to staying put for quite some time. I just need it to be somewhere that I am “Hau'oli.” It’s time for “ho’oponopono” (to make things right).