looking forward, a number of my good friends here will be departing to pursue their lives in other parts of the world. this time next year, nearly all my friends will have left hawaii and that reality is cause for me to pause and look at my life here.
because i never thought i would stay in hawaii for any extended period of time, the thought never occurred to me that i would make good friends here and then watch them leave before me. it’s a strange concept reality that i’ve accepted, but at the same time, haven’t quite yet internalized.
the exodus has officially begun with one of my good kwi friends, who returned to kiwi land last week. i find some irony in her departure, as it was exactly one year ago that we met. a number of us were celebrating the birthday of a mutual friend and she and her wife joined us for part of the evening. almost immediately, her and i hit it off and we’ve been buds ever since and while she has returned home for lack of a visa, i’m glad her wife is here for a few more months.
in the next several months, many more will be leaving, while i stay behind to pursue my life in hawaii.
on the one hand, with all it’s splendor, living in hawaii doesn’t come without complications: cost of living is high, it’s virtually impossible to own a decent home. then there is, of course, the distance. i have family and friends who are, increasingly, scattered across the globe. a sister and her family in london, friends in chicago, new york, ohio, kansas city, and now even new zealand. more family in san diego, arizona, and st. paul. traveling to see any of them takes considerable expense and time. the jewish population is nominal at best with few options for worship or dating. and beyond the jewish realm, my dating prospects don’t look much better.
on the other hand, there isn’t another place that i’ve been or can think of to where i would want to relocate and despite these difficulties, i’ve told myself that i would never again choose city of residence based solely on the quality of the dating scene and so refuse to relocate simply because i more likely to meet ‘a nice jewish girl’ somewhere else. sure, i struggle to see family and friends on a regular basis, but hope that will improve as i get older and collect a bigger paycheck. hawaii is wonderful for so many reasons and i’ve really come to love it here and think of it as home. i can’t (yet) imagine leaving.
what’s more, career choices, i feel, are limited. however, i have begun to make a place for myself in the realm of hawaii politics and hope, in looking toward the future, to somehow make that place one where i can be both happy and successful.
while i’ll say i’ve never believed in the notion of destiny or divine providence, there is a part of me that truly feels the path and trials of my life have brought me here for a reason. if that is indeed the case, i haven’t yet figured out that the reason might be. i am so thankful for the time i’ve spent here, the people i’ve met, and the friends that i’ve made as a result. i’m happy and i look forward to traveling this path and seeing where it takes me. i don’t think i’ll be leaving hawaii any time soon.