Week 44

   I realize that it's been over eight years since I lived alone! I almost forgot what this felt like. The first night alone in my new place I gleefully texted my mom and announced, “ I’m starting to put things away and it feels amazing to decide where to put everything…I could store my utensils in the bathroom or put my underwear in the kitchen cabinet!”

   Having my own space does feel wonderful, and I love having the freedom to put things wherever I choose. However, I decided against storing kitchen utensils in the bathroom and so on. But again, I like that I have the option to keep my panties in the pantry if I so desire! Also, I've decided to go with a turquoise theme for my place. No surprise there, right? Turquoise is my favorite color, the color of the ocean in Hawaii! And guess what?? I’m actually in Hawaii!! I've found such joy in discovering little turquoise treasures. However, my definition of 'treasures' has suddenly changed. This week I decided against purchasing an overpriced pillow that was turquoise and had an image of a mermaid on it and the words DREAM written across it. It was as if it was made just for me! But a throw pillow is not on my priority list, and I'm suddenly so careful with the money I spend. Who the heck am I??
      Instead of mermaid pillows, sea shell candles, or flowing sundresses, I find myself looking for things like cleaning supplies, cookware, and lamps. I did, however, discover some very important necessities in my favorite color and it gave me quite the thrill. I found bath towels, shower curtains, sheets and a bath mat at Walmart that were all the color of the ocean HERE! I may have even let out a squeal when I found Dial soap at Longs that was Aqua colored.

   But with the perks, also comes some disadvantages.  Being alone and new to a place where I don’t know more than a few people is a big adjustment. I trust that I’ll meet people and make friends, but I miss all my friends and family immensely that are now 3000 miles away! I’m not embarrassed to announce that I've bonded with my smart phone. It has kept me connected to all my homies back home. Anytime I get a text or hear that familiar email alert,  'ding ding', I jump up with excitement to see who it is (keep ‘em coming please!).
     I've even started talking back to Siri when she guides me around the island. For some reason, her pronunciations of the Hawaiian-named roads always sound hilarious to me. Sometimes she is spot on, and I think Siri is a local, guiding me like a wise Polynesian goddess. Other times, she is so way off I laugh out loud. The other day, on the way to Costco, I started correcting Siri as she was giving me directions. “ No Siri, Hal-ee-ak-ala Road, not Houl-eek-kk-all-aaa Road!”
   Yes, I talk to my phone. I also talk to my plants. After dropping my mom off at the airport with a teary send-off, one of the first things I did was drive myself to Lowes and purchase three plants. There’s something about foliage that just makes any place feel more like a home. I don’t have names for them yet, but I ask them daily if they have enough water. Now… if only I could find a turquoise plant!!

   So, I have my ups and my downs. For the last few mornings I wake up and usually feel an initial wave of anxiety in my new place. I try to just talk myself through it and acknowledge that it's ALL GOOD, that it’s probably normal to be feeling a wee bit anxious with such a big life change.  The feeling usually subsides early afternoon ( I've discovered that swimming in the ocean often fixes me pretty swiftly).
   I've also become somewhat of a clean freak! I sweep and vacuum and I do my dishes not longer than 5 minutes after I've placed them in the sink. Perhaps it’s pride in having my own space? I'm sorry that I wasn't this super tidy with my roommate...or more likely my roommate is sorry.  But I’m not just clean, I feel like I have a little OCD too. For example, when I leave my apartment I always check to make sure the lights are off and that I unplug my appliances. I start to drive away, doubt myself, drive home and recheck that the lights are off and that the stove top is not on! This happens routinely even though I know that I already checked everything twice before I left!

  But again, I say, "Thank you ocean for keeping me calm!"As soon as I jump in the water that’s the best color in the world I feel my stress lift and any doubts just float away. I've seen more sea turtles here in this last week then I've ever seen in Maui before. It’s like they know I need their support and they give me a ‘what up’ nod. This last Tuesday I was swimming at Kapalua Bay and the biggest turtle I've ever seen swam right next to me, adjacent to the shore. He was just chillin' and I was chillin' and it was beautiful.

Wearing dresses here isn't a problem. I've just been living in my Prana cotton dresses over and over again. The only humdinger is now I have to ask strangers to take my picture and I haven't really been on top of that this week. I plan on doing it next week, but I decided against putting any extra pressure on myself for the time being. My only goal for this week was to take some time to adjust and settle into my new home. So, instead of dress pictures, I'll just leave you with this one picture that I recently discovered.

SEE? I was clearly meant to be an island girl from a very young age. I'm not wearing a dress, but I have enough layers going on that they almost qualify as one.