Strong Like the Sea, стр. 75
I find it’s the same on all the islands—just a little different mood to each island, Hawai’i being the most laid back. The Big Island has this energy that is very calm and laid back yet a hidden deep fire with expanding energy. The island is always changing, transforming, and growing, and when people come here, they transform and grow too.
Maui has a more rich business vibe, very windy and a little more fast-paced and passionate.
Oahu has all the beauty of the other islands but feels like New York City too, you could find things from everywhere in the world there.
Also, Hawaiian geckos are usually good houseguests. They eat bugs and don’t make a mess on windowsills. Good luck, too. They make a cool sound when you say something true.
Trieste Mamo Pa’a’aina, Oahu
The Hawaiian language is full of beautiful words and meanings. I teach my daughters these things so they will not forget their Hawaiian heritage. One of the words that I love in Hawaiian is my maiden name, Pa’a’aina—it means holder of the land. I always thought it sounded like it held a very important sense of responsibility. I have four girls, and each have two middle names, one being Pa’a’aina to connect them to their Hawaiian ancestry. The second word I love is ohana, which means family. Ohana is not limited to family by blood. I have a lot of friends that I consider my family.
Rebecca, Daniel, and Eian Carlson, Oahu
One thing I love about Laie, and Hawaii in general, is that everyone takes time to stop and talk story. You’ll see cars parked in the middle of the street with windows rolled down and drivers chatting away. I love to sit on my front porch in the evenings and visit with both friends and strangers who pass by. Another thing I love is the fact that I can walk from my own front door to a jungle hike in the mountains or an afternoon of snorkeling on the reef.
Maybe the most amazing and important thing is the way others watch out for you. If word gets around that someone needs help, you’ll have an instant small army coming to the rescue. It makes me feel like this community could work any miracle it set its mind to.
I asked my sons what they loved best, about Hawaii:
Daniel: “I love the community here because everybody is friends and everybody is family here.”
Eian: “I love the people because it’s nice to have a supportive neighborhood, and there’s always great people to meet.”
Eian is high-functioning autistic, and I get teary-eyed every time I think about how much the other kids at school take care of him and watch out for him. They know him and know his needs and are constantly making sure he can participate with everyone else. The KIDS do this all on their own, no prompting from adults. There’s a mindset that everyone here is family, even the ones who are different.
Anne and Lincoln Workman, Oahu
The fact that Mother Nature is so dominant here—letting you know she’s in charge through sun, salt air, rust, and tides—keeps people humble and focused on their people and experiences, rather than on things. When I have lived away from here and look back on photos from Hawaii, I’m always struck by how much color there is in every photo—even photos of everyday moments. Life here is vibrant and colorful, warm and rooted. And it is, every day, breathtakingly beautiful.
My son, Lincoln, says, “Living in Laie makes you feel you rule the world as a kid. Walking around barefoot, surrounded by friends, the whole town seems your own. Sunny days, sparkling water, green trees blowing in the breeze, you can appreciate every detail.”
This story was a labor of love and a huge community effort. I would not have been able to finish without every one of the following outstanding people.
First, I must thank my family and parents for understanding and supporting me in my writing adventure as I disappeared to write through dinners, family events, and even farming.
To my agent, Stacey Glick, thank you for believing in me and my writing.
The awesome folks at Shadow Mountain who helped guide and encourage me in this writing journey. Specifically, my wonderful editors, Tracy Keck and Lisa Mangum, as well as Chris Schoebinger, Heidi Taylor Gordon, Richard Erickson, Emily Remington, and Breanna Anderl. I am so grateful to you all.
I would especially like to offer my deepest gratitude to my Oahu and Big Island of Hawaii friends who did their best to help me understand life on the islands. Thank you for answering my countless weird and random questions about island life, for reading and offering invaluable feedback on how to improve my story, and most of all, thank you for your friendship.
To Darren Tanaka, the coolest rock-star librarian I’ve ever met, I’ve treasured our conversations about all things Hawaiian in the wee hours of the morning, and to his students at Kailua Elementary who helped brainstorm both challenges and prizes for Alex and her friends, thank you! To Kamake’e Lindsey, who showed me how to scoop plastic from the sand with kitty litter scoops at Hukilau Beach, and shared her love of ohana with me at the cemetery and through numerous messages over the last year; mahalo, my friend.
To Rebecca, Daniel, and Eian Carlson, who snorkeled the eel hole, kayaked around Hukilau and Temple Beach, and hiked all over Laie, often filming on location so I could see and experience the answers to my questions in their real life, I hope to return and snorkel with you IRL. To Anne and Lincoln Workman, who gave me the best “kid tour” of Laie ever—over rocks, under bridges, inside Castle Tree, and all over; thank you for showing me your world from a barefoot kid’s point of view.
To Joe Plicka, who showed me around