On a recent trip to Honolulu to visit family, I had an opportunity to spend some time stopped in traffic on the freeway, with an elevated view from a ridge, with much of the city spread out in the distance before me. It is a mariner’s habit to keep an eye on the weather, and I found myself watching a silver curtain of rain blowing in from the sea as a rolling cloud of mist tumbled down a high ridge behind a subdivided valley. Both would douse the thousands and thousands of roof tops with cooling rain, and countless windshield wipers would flick on to wipe the windshields of the long caravans of cars snaking along the endless concrete corridors crisscrossing the city.
It was so pretty, and I looked around at the neighboring cars to see if anyone else was sharing the view. They were not, and they appeared busy talking to unseen people and craning their necks to see if an opening might appear in the clot of cars ahead. They were on schedules, going places, checking off items on their lists and accomplishing chores in their limited time. They were living the city life and were probably masters of the challenges facing them daily. They were doing things that needed to be done, and I think they were probably doing a good job of that. The rain might be just an annoyance.
Many of our Honolulu friends are now retiring from their daily commutes, and we hope they find joy and beauty in retired life. The years leading up to their retirement were more about accomplishment than appreciation of the incredible beauty that we “own” here in Hawaii nei. The truth may be that separation from the city will be a requirement in order for them to stop and smell the roses, the way they did so long ago, when we all rode bikes to the store and sat with friends under shady trees in the warm afternoons.
Waimea, here on the Big Island, is stunningly natural, open and clear. People are walking on paths that thread through the oceans of grass and wind-sculpted trees. Flocks of whipped cream clouds sail overhead, casting running shadows across the towering slopes of Mauna Kea. Far below, across the great stretches of golden pasturelands and great fields of dark lava, the ocean embraces us with a lei of purest white, and our hearts are lifted and our faith restored.
If you are ready to retire to a better life, please call or email us and let us help you. That is our role and our joy.
