Same Country, Different Continent, Grateful Heart!

Hello to all of you who are returning to this blog, and WELCOME to all of those who are coming to it for the first time!

I had been away for quite some time, but thankfully Blogger has near-infinite patience, and left my profile here waiting for me just the way I left it.

While I don't feel as bad as some other bloggers for not posting, I am very glad to be back!

You might be wondering what the meaning of this post title is and for those of you who don't know I have moved to the big island of Hawai'i to work for what I thus far consider to be a wonderful organization.  I say thus far, because I haven't started work yet, merely spoken to current employees, read up on their philosophies and program model, and visualized myself working there.  Like I say, so far it kicks ass!!

My intention with restarting this blog is to have an opportunity to process the things I see, people I meet, and thoughts I have in a different medium rather than scratching them in a notebook as I try to keep up with my brain or thinking them over and over again silently in aforementioned brain.  And who knows, maybe I'll pick up some work as a freelance travel writer!!

Today was absolutely spectacular, and I still have a CONCERT to go to!!  I was accompanied, and sent off by two beautiful ladies at the airport this morning only to walk up to check in and have the computer impartially tell me that I was too late to check in for my flight!  But the Universe was on the side of me arriving in Hawaii as planned, and a wonderful agent  agreed to check me in and walk my backpack down to the plane herself!  I silently wondered whether it was the flower stuck in my visor or my winning smile that won her over, though I feel confident in retrospect that it was a combination of both things.  My gratitude for the world carried me swiftly through security and landed me in A ROW ALL BY MYSELF on the plane mere minutes before the door was closed.

Then something interesting happened.  A woman and her 2 month-old baby came on the plane right at the last minute.  but this was not the interesting thing.  The really cool part was that when they came to sit right next to me, I was not worried about the baby nor bummed about losing my solitary row; I was GRATEFUL that I had a beautiful baby to look at and a woman to speak Spanish with! (she was from Mexico).

The day continued the same way on into San Francisco (PB & J bagels whilst siting comfortably, talking to friendly strangers, finally getting to be one of those people with a fancy laptop on the plane watching their own movie [even if it was the same movie they were playing on the plane], and then of course the baggage claim at Kona International Airport:

THat's right: totally open air!!  Paradise?? you ask.  YES!! I answer.

In what I have discovered to be True "McLean Style" I decided to strike out on foot for the opposite side of the island:

Hitchhiking on this island is a truly wonderful, and relatively easy experience.  Shortly after this picture was taken I received my first ride offer.  ( I wasn't even out of the airport complex!)  He was going the wrong direction, but shortly after I was picked up by 

Leslie and Bob,

Tim O'Neill Kilty,

Michael,

Peter,

& Stephen Palmier.

Each and every one of my saviors were beautiful people in absolutely different ways.  Unfortunately I only got a chance to take a picture of one of them:

Leslie from San Francisco

Thankfully though, I learned from a very good friend of mine the value of having a notebook close at hand to document the wonderful things that happen to you.  What follows is a brief summation of my field notes from my hitch around the island:

Leslie and Bob: visiting the island, they know the former Rabbi of Temple Beth Israel in PDX and are good friend with a Matt Jacobson who probably worked at the same place that I am going to be working for.  (they didn't know for sure)

Tim: Lived here since Oct.  Does Construction Management on the island - just now starting to let himself play a little bit - actually TURNED AROUND and went out of his way to take me to Waimea!

Michael: Quite the political guy - coined the term "Corporatocracy" to describe the state of our society, has a cool idea for campaign finance reform, just bought a farm recently.  Trying to get away from the hustle and bustle.

Peter: Listens to Football on the radio.  Aware of the trouble that teens experience.  He said re: substance abuse problems: "when you live in paradise and you can't find paradise inside yourself, you try to create it inside your head"  I am hoping to help kids find paradise within themselves

Stephen: Gave me a tour of Hilo from the back of his pick up!  Thank you Stephen!  I know where to get good Thai Food!

The sign (and thumb) that got me there

And now I am receiving an offer of a place to stay for free from this very nice woman Yamato sitting next to me in the Starbucks!

My friend Kalia is coming to pick me up any minute to take me to the concert so I must depart!

It's great to be back!!!

Oh, and if you were wondering if Hawaii is as chill as you imagine, I'll let this picture do all the talking:

Mahalo Nui!!