Thinking of Hawaii

It is a lazy Friday with the luxury of time for day dreaming. And that usually means I am thinking about Hawaii, wondering what my life could be like there. I think I mentioned before that the biggest concern in leaving Seattle is finding the same kind of community and friendships that I have known here. I feel lucky to already have a few friends there (plus the possibilty of adding to that number on my upcoming trip in only 43 days). But still I don't want to cling to those few people for community. I have started looking into ways to get involved in the community and meet people once I am kama`aina (that's means resident in Hawaiian).

I have recently signed on to start volunteering with Habitat for Humanity here in Seattle and plan to continue with that in Hawaii at the Honolulu chapter. I have also looked at getting involved with the Surfrider Foundation. They have beach clean up days and other events. It seems fitting to really do what I can to be a good steward of the ocean since I know it will be the source of so much of my fun and adventure on Oahu. Another amazing organization I found is Spirit Sessions. It's a surfing outreach program for at-risk youth. I will need to brush up on my surfing skills a bit before jumping in there but it sounds like a really amazing program. I have also started searching for churches in the Honolulu area. I will be there one Sunday in March so maybe I'll be able to visit one.

All of these things get me excited about the possibilities of a new life in Hawaii. The one time in my life that I made a major move across statelines was for school. While it was still a little scary and mysterious so many things that I needed were built in. A purpose and community all part of the package. But now I am planning a move with no real aim except to start a new life, start fresh. I am not moving for a job or a relationship. I guess, simply put, I am moving because I can. For a while now I have been hearing God speak the same words over and over again. "Stop waiting for the life you want and start living the life you have." I sometimes I find myself a bit ashamed of my life. Not because of things I do, but all the things I don't. I want to take advantage of all the blessing of being where I am in my life. I don't want to miss an opportunity to grow and become more complete. I don't want to pass up an open door in the hopes that something better will come along. And Hawaii seems to be the open door right now.