Leaving the world behind

Cool photo

This fence on Maui's Kaupakalua Road has been here for years. I'll have to ask around to get better info on it. But what a great use for busted surfboards! The hedge plant is "ti" (pronounced "tea"), an easily grown and much-loved common plant of Hawaii. It comes in many colors besides green. Ti leaves can be used to wrap food, or as hula skirts. The green ones are also waved with great enthusiasm at UH volleyball games.

Family matters

My husband is on vacation. I am simply traveling. We are largely staying on this sibling's floor or in that parent's spare room. Trips like this are quite the mixed bag. Craig is trying to relax and enjoy Hawaii. I am frequently absorbed with other issues.

Many people see Hawaii as an extraordinary place. Which it is. But Hawaii's inhabitants live ordinary lives, with typical concerns. Here, as elsewhere, a house and yard become harder to manage as the house--and the inhabitants--age. Like so many in my age group, my thoughts turn to elder-care. Are my parents well-situated for the years ahead? They are long divorced, so we have two cases to manage, so to speak. Thankfully, both are still active and completely independent. From my vantage point though, the status quo can't last forever. Maybe we should consider some changes now?

This can be an awkward, transitionary stage--the opposite of where we are at with our teen. He is still dependent, but rapidly moving toward flying away. Meanwhile, my siblings and I need to respect our parent's autonomy, while planning for more inter-dependence somewhere down the road.

My brothers, who live here, have to put up with all this. Here she comes. The pushy baby of the family. Parachuting in, with know-it-all ideas she won't even be here to implement. Hrumph! Still, everyone is friendly and constructive. From my outsider's vantage point, I force many discussions--and a few on-going debates about the best courses of action.

Some of the pushiness comes from lessons learned on my husband's side of the family. Both of his parents have died in the last two years. That experience re-proved the importance of talking things over ahead of time. Not always fun, but better in the long run.

World affairs

Travel sometimes juxtaposes personal indulgence against brutal headlines. The news, when we hear any, almost sounds like WW III could be beginning. "Contained" or not, the present conflict is heartbreaking. Frivolous travel seems inexcusable in such times. I can only compartmentalize in response. I didn't start the present crisis. My staying home won't stop it. I must carry on and make the trip a positive experience--even while others suffer, fight and die. World peace is beyond my control, though it is what I wish for when ever I blow out candles.

Like other tourist-dependent economies, Hawaii is especially vulnerable to episodes of war. Or concerns about air safety. The ill-ease I feel can quickly become magnified in gross travel numbers. Hawaii's long economic recession of the 1990's was partially caused by the First Gulf War (for lack of a better name). At that time, Hawaii was riding a wave of big-spending tourism from Japan. The Japanese economy eventually collapsed, which was part of Hawaii's down turn. But the Japanese visitor also stopped coming then because it is very impolite to impose on a country at war.

A major, perpetual, concern in Hawaii is economic diversification. Or a lack thereof. Too many eggs are all in the basket marked "tourism". I was just about to remark how bad things would be if it does come to WW III, when I remembered that war impacts Hawaii in other ways too. Hawaii has a significant military presence. Military spending comes second or third (I have to look that up) in Hawaii's economic pie. If tourism goes down due to war, military activity may well go up. Not the sort of activity that will save all visitor industry jobs. Not the sort of compensation anyone would wish for. But compensation of a sort? It's an unpleasant thought. Economic diversification is not supposed to depend on wars for success.

I'll close on a more cheerful note, with another Hawaii-themed photo. People aren't reading this to worry about the Middle East, or parents in transition. That must be part of Hawaii's appeal. To represent a place, even if it's only in our minds, that rises above ordinary cares.