Memories From Maui
It’s been six months since the deadly fires ravaged Maui. We live in an area that frequently experiences wildfire risks but I never could have imagined one could wipe out this slice of paradise nestled along the coast. I wrote this the day after the fire and decided to share it today. For those wanting to help the victims, visit Maui Strong for more information.
I can still bring myself back.
March of 1997. I’m in college—a Montana girl who has hardly left the State. My aunt and uncle plan a trip to Maui and we all hop on a plane. We eat peanuts and order sprite and maybe read a few pages of a book we packed for the beach. We see Snoop Dog in the LA airport. We get delayed a few hours. Arrive in Honolulu before jumping on an island hopper and stepping foot in Maui. Pile into a mini-van—sleepy, but excited. NO IDEA what is waiting for us in the days to come.
We arrive at the Whaler and take the elevator to the top floor. Unlock the door to the condo and it’s Hawaii heaven. Wicker furniture and a pineapple on the counter that you can smell the sweetness from before you cut into it. It’s dark out, but we step onto the balcony and the waves are crashing and the air is warm and coats your lungs, nourishing them. Star struck, my brother and I run down to the beach—pulled to the ocean like the moon. The sand is soft and you sink in. And that moment flicks a switch. It’s a core memory.
No one is worried about where they sleep—we are all together in this wonderful perch above the beach and sleep comes easily. You spend your mornings going for a run on the boardwalk and marvel at all the flowers and the palm trees, the birds singing—the ocean holding space for you on the perimeter. You spend your afternoons boogie boarding and getting tan and your aunt makes sandwiches and packs a picnic with chips and fruit. You feel safe. You feel incredibly lucky. Your scalp is peppered with sand and you hope it never washes out. You peak your head under water with a snorkel mask and gasp in delight at all the colors of fish. It does not seem real. A sea turtle swims by and its magical. One morning you wake up early to go see the whales. Your raft is bright yellow and you are out on the water between Maui and Lanai and the whales are breaching. You putter back into the harbor after a few glorious hours and you walk to a diner that serves pancakes with coconut syrup.
In the evenings, you all load up back into the van and head to an open-air restaurant presenting menus of fresh fish, steak and island veggies and a musician is playing acoustic melodies in the back. The sun sets. The mood is electric with giddiness and laughter and frankly awe that such a place exists in this great big wonderful world.
I was melancholy for this trip before it ended because I could sense how deep the memories would remain within me. It was this experience that stirred up my love for travel –like a snow globe, but replace it with sand and salt water. When you look back on your life, what moments stand out as defining? Did they alter your direction or where you are today? Did they influence how you live your life? Do they evoke a feeling that remains pure and real? What comes up for me with our Maui trip is the realization that I am someone who won the lottery of life because I have a family that loves me. Not because we flew to an amazing place and stayed in a condo with views of whales surfacing. It’s something more symbolic of simple pleasures. Someone making you lunch so you didn’t have to leave the beach. Spending time together. Being positive, present, stress free. Sitting around a table as the sun dips and the ocean sparkles and planting the seed, that through the ups and downs, life is good. Those days will always be with me.
