Aloha, Mahalo, and Holy Sh*t!

Oh, the Goddess has been putting me through trial by fire since I arrived, though as of this moment, things seem to have settled down a bit.

My first night in Hawaii all went well until about 9 pm, when the running water in the house I'm staying in stopped running. I had a list of numbers to call, and no phone service. My housemate had not yet arrived, and I knew no one. Well, there was Rachel, who had picked me up from Hilo Airport and then shown me around the area and the property. I tried to call her and text her, to no avail. I still need to get in touch with her and let her know everything turned out okay.

Anyhow, I also had no Internet access, so I felt cut off from the world. I decided to sleep on it, since I was too exhausted to get seriously worried.

I woke up early the next morning, after an excellent night's sleep. Then I had plenty of energy to panic! I didn't really care about the Internet or the phone--those I knew I could live without. I knew quite well, however, that I could not live without water, especially not in a very hot tropical paradise. So I cried for a while, and asked the Goddess to tell me what to do.

My first moment of grace came when I decided to run outside and stand in the second of many tropical downpours that day. I turned my face to the sky and spread out my arms. The rain and cool air felt like a blessing. After that I felt much calmer, and I asked the Goddess to please send me help.

A short while later, the neighbor my hosts had asked to bring in the mail came by, calling a cheery, "Aloha!" As it turned out, she was the very person I had been trying hardest to get in touch with, because according to the list my hosts left, she knew all the local repair people and would have the answer in most situations. Oh, and did she ever! She knew who to call to repair the water pump, and she let me use her phone, and then her Internet. She also took me on a short road trip and showed me where the locals get free drinking water from spigots by the side of the road--a Goddess-send with a limited water supply! I felt blessed to meet and know her.

That same day I picked up my housemate from Hilo Airport, after getting lost enough times on the way to make a 45-minute trip into about two hours. That night we went to the warm pool, a giant outdoor hot sea-water pond, heated by the breath of Pele herself. There was a waxing quarter moon shedding soft white light on us, and tiny fish nibbling at my toes, arms, legs, back--whatever they could get their nibblers on! My companion had warned me that the fish would take off dead skin cells and whatever else they could get. One tried to take a mole off my thigh, but it was firmly attached. What a strange experience!

Last night I had yet another cleansing. I woke in the tropical dark--which is unlike any other darkness I've experienced, being absolutely impenetrable--with my gut in an uproar. Some bacterial bug had got me, and I cried and moaned and sweated and shivered on the toilet for at least 30 minutes. I felt so much pain that it crossed my mind to wonder whether I would survive. Obviously I did, but what a painful experience. I felt a bit tender today, and happy to be alive. I took it very easy today, and feel much better for it.

I have much more to tell, and show--I need to download the beautiful photos I took on my walk yesterday. Each day here is filled with so much beauty, wildness, and glorious life! Today I've share my woes, and tomorrow I'll share the joys!

Good night, aloha, mahalo, and sweet dreams. May your days and nights feel blessed, and may you know you are alive.

~Love and Blessings,
Selene~