“It’s just like a movie,” has become a common phrase of mine, and I question if it’s because my experiences seem to only be for moviemakers in Hollywood. At one point in my life, I believed that the shocking sights of the world was not meant for me to see unless it was on a 19-inch television screen.
I never thought in a million years that Hilo would be my home away from home. It seemed only natural to live my life in a conventional way because honestly, it’s easier and almost expected.
I was excited when my friend Taz, who is a haole (Caucasian) born and raised in Hawaii, invited my friends and me to visit Green Sands beach with him this past weekend. I didn’t realize that on this trip I would discover a simple but vital rule of life.
Driving through the charming town, with its green mountains spotted with aged houses, provided a scenic, relaxed atmosphere. Pastures with giant windmills and black and white cows led the way to the beach. As I looked along the coast, “it was just like a movie.” A massive whale popped out of the water with the sun shining bright on its back and as it landed, the water splashed every which way from the extreme weight of the whale. It was breathtaking.
We had a grand time on the beach, and decided to stop by Taz’s house on the way home. It was at that time that I would have another “it’s just like a movie” experience.
As we pulled up to the three-story wooden house, I noticed an older dog lying on the porch distracted by the fly that landed on its nose. Grapefruit and orange trees grew on the side of the house, and Taz’s dad was working in the shed holding a hammer in his hand.
From the first moment that I met his parents, I was overwhelmed with the happiness that I saw in their eyes. His mother showed us her pond in the back of their house and herb garden, which was beside a clothesline filled with the clothes of her four children. I felt a wonderful energy from observing how much life his family had brought to the house.
They invited us to stay for dinner, and as we helped his mother cut up fresh cabbage and carrots for the homemade coleslaw, we became further acquainted with her. She left New Jersey and came to Hawaii when she was 17 years old with a mere $40 in her pocket. She met Taz’s dad, and they lived in a bamboo tree house together for a year, making their money through chicken fighting. Taz’s dad eventually built a room, which progressed into the three-story house they blissfully live in today.
I’m a strong believer in things happening for a reason, and learned an important lesson this weekend. I needed to see that life has no boundaries. Happiness is found in so many ways, and everything will work out the way you want it to, if you live it the way you want to. Tradition is reassuring, but the stories you later tell in life are those that are unlike your everyday experiences.