missing

I have been neglectful. Shirked my responsibilities; missed my deadlines. But then, whose deadlines? It has been over a month since I last posted. No end-of-year summary. No proclamation of goals for the new year. No sonnets to the crunching January snow. No words of anticipation as we jetted off for Hawaii. So, here we are. A rainy day on Kauai with the ocean waves high as we watch the next storm approach from off shore.

We left over a week ago during one of Anchorage's snowiest winters, the temperatures below zero as we drove to the airport without our jackets. It's easy to forget about the rest of the country (and world) when we're relaxing in the middle of the ocean where our main concern is that our favorite fruit stand and fish markets are still in business. We haul ourselves back to reality with our technology and our almost compulsive need to watch The Daily Show & the Colbert Report.

As the heat of each day seeps ever deeper under our skin, it's easy to forget the cold that entered my fingers when I removed my gloves and fumbled for my car keys in my fanny pack. Was that not even two weeks ago when I last snowshoed? I didn't complain about the Vog (Volcanic fog) layer that covered the island when we hiked a few days ago, the humidity coating our skin as we climbed the Sleeping Giant. Instead, embraced it and ran partway down the mountain, testing my running legs on the leaf and branch-strewn trail. Even if I can't bike, I can at least run a bit.

I've managed to read two books since the trip began. I'll fill you in on some other things we've been doing and things I've been pondering since we started our trip. I'll try to do this with some timeliness. Though they don't call it "island time" for nothing.

Aloha.