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I'm in the frustrating position of living half the year in Puna & half the year on the mainland, because, like many good marriages, I am compromising with my husband. I love Puna but my husband doesn't. So, for Chris's edification, here are my husband's reasons (and why we leave the island every year to my great regret). I will try to fairly state them:
-His main complaint is that he gets "Island Fever" meaning there's only so many places to go/see. Once you've gone to Kona side or up north once or twice, that's it.
-He believes food & gas prices are significantly higher & we're on fixed income
-Funky roads in Puna mean way more vehicle repair bills for us
-Way too much rain
-Old-Boy network in government bureaucracies & "Hawaii time" for getting tradesmen to show up is frustrating & infuriating
These are his opinions, not mine at all. But perhaps they will be of help to you in the "negatives" column.
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Aloha Freestate,
I agree with all your comments, and I hope folks didn't interpret my comments as being a values judgment. All I was trying to say was that in my opinion, people who have an inclination to "go with the flow" will find it easier to live here than people who need order and predictability in their lives. By using materialistic things as examples in my original post, I think I may have colored my comments unintentionally.
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Thanks KeaauRich, I wasn't trying to imply anything about you and it sounds like you understood that.
And I'm very much in agreement about the "go with the flow" characteristic being an important part of adapting to island life. The "no worries" attitude is one of the better parts of life out here, once you adjust to it.
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I dunno, "non-interfering" parent probably means something different to you than it does to me.
Quite frankly, you sound a bit selfish, protective and scared.
Did you not equip your son with what it takes to go make his own life? Figure he'll move to Hawaii and you'll never see him?
Admittedly, the job market here is pretty tough and costs can be high, but these things can be managed and people who aren't afraid to do things differently than their mainstream peers and set different priorities can find happiness in Puna.
I would expect parents to be supportive of any endeavors their children pursue, I would support my children, offer them encouragement and remind them about every message served in some inspirational movie that they can do absolutely ANYTHING they set their hearts on. I believe in my kids and my parents believe in me.
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As Khalil Gibran said, "Your children are not your children....you are the bow from which your children as living arrows are sent forth".
By the way, this "tread" is not your "tread". It is actually a thread so stop calling it a "tread" and stop telling other people what they can do in it.
Let the island be your dream. It may not be the dream of others. That is a good thing.
Glen,
That quote was beautiful, thank you. My mom passed away two years ago (this Friday) and she had a very old copy of the "The Prophet" in her book collection that I believe is the same author you have quoted.
Something about this 'tread' has stuck in my craw from the beginning as I really don't think it's a 'new' poster but a chameleon who chooses to write under a new name for some reason that, I suppose, really doesn't matter. I just don't like the deception (if my instincts are correct). If not, my apologies and as I said earlier, the actual question was a good one, without all the 'bleeping' controlling stuff of moving comments to a separate thread, underlining and bolding what had been ealier stated previously for emphasis, it all just gets a bit tiresome. More poetry, please!
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Ah, your mom's aim was true and her bow strong. She launched you well and now you are on target for your dream.
Yes, the Prophet is perhaps Gibran's best known book of poetry/philosophy. I am sorry you lost your mother. No matter our age, that is something that stays with us as a quiet pang.
Lovely people stay with us forever, though....on the warm winds, in the restless earth, and among the infinite stars. Although we are dimensionally-challenged, you can just feel them sometimes.
One fine day so long ago
Our son said, Guys, I got to go
We could have said, No please stay
The world is cold, so far away
But we looked at each other with swagger and sway
And all we could muster was Hip hip hooray!
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Now this is what I love about punaweb...hasn't this thread turned out great? And thanks, these last few post were needed by this worrisome mom who sprang forth many of them arrows. Very helpful for me.
