1/5/2012 "What do you do all day? "

Several friends have asked "What do you do all day?"  Perhaps they can't conceive of a life without a full time job, yard work and/or shoveling snow, family responsibilities and endless rushing around trying to accomplish everything on the never ending 'to do' list. 

Indeed, the standard question I received after announcing that I was leaving the corporate world and moving to Hawaii was some variation of "When are you going to start working again?"  It seems many believe that one must always be working at a paying job to be complete / whole. I never thought that to be true for me. Indeed, I've always felt that working interfered with my life. 

I can happily say that life can be fulfilling, busy, interesting and fun even without working.  Today's post is an attempt at describing of my "typical" week in Kauai. I use quotes around typical because a lot of what happens here.... just happens.  

I usually have some idea of what I'd like to accomplish each day, but mostly I go where the wind blows me. And, it usually works out fantastically well.  Every day brings surprises: new friends, new places to see, new activities to join, new opportunities to explore, etc.  

I try to have some 'quiet time' each morning.  I play some quiet music, read some inspirational material, pray and then do yoga, lift some light weights, or walk up to Kukuiolono Park. It's whale watching season and there is a great view of the ocean from the park. I'm determined to see some whales, but I've only seen the huge splashes from the whales so far, not actual whales.  Not to worry, my new friend, Judy's husband is a boat captain at one of the boat companies and she's invited me to go out with her next month, when it is peak season. 

On most Mondays, I volunteer at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens (NTBG) from 9 am to 11 am.  My usual job is washing pots. Washing pots consists of cleaning small containers which used to contain seedlings.  There are usually 3 to 6 of us working on this project at a time. While working, we trade information (gossip).  I meet new people, learn places to go, find others who enjoy the same activities I do, and share my own tidbits of information. 

http://ntbg.org/gardens/mcbryde.php

After our two hour stint is over, there is a potluck lunch and the food each week varies greatly. It's always yummy and it's interesting to see and taste what everyone brings for the lunch.  However, someone must have a lot of avocado trees, because 99% of the time there is a HUGE vat of guacamole and chips.  

At the end of the buffet table is a selection of excess fruit and vegetables that volunteers bring from their gardens at home.  I've been able to taste fruits I've never had before: star fruit, passion fruit and dragon eye to name a few. Apple bananas are always plentiful and they are sweeter and more flavorful than bananas back on the mainland. 

During lunch we share more information (gossip) and I get to meet others who worked on different projects besides pot washing.  After lunch is over Bob, the greenhouse manager, gives a brief talk on one of the plants from the gardens.  Samara, the volunteer coordinator, gives updates on new and upcoming topics / projects / plans for the volunteers.  After the announcements are made a behind the scenes tour of the gardens is offered.  I've never participated in the tours because I usually hot foot it directly to Koloa's Farmers Market. 

Each day of the week a farmers' market is being held in a different community.  The produce is plentiful and very economical but the goods go FAST!  I rarely buy produce in grocery stores anymore because I love the freshness of the fruit and veggies and I enjoy the community spirit at the markets.

 

Farmers' Market Booty ~ YUM! 

It's hard to decide what to purchase since the selection is so great: star fruit, fresh ginger, basil, cilantro, lemons, limes, tomatoes, beans, peppers, avocados, mangos, papayas, coconuts, pineapples, tropical flowers and more.  The prices are unbelievable, too.  Imagine freshly picked  bananas @ 10 cents each; a bunch of radishes ~ $1; oranges 4 / $1.   Add some fresh fish and there's a healthy quick meal, for sure.  I've never eaten so well in my life!

Since gas prices are so high (currently between $4.17 and $4.52/gallon) everyone tries to consolidate trips 'to town', so after the farmers' market I usually run some errands in Koloa; bank, grocery store, library. 

Tuesday evenings are my 'big night out'.  I join my friends for 'Taco Tuesday' at Duke's Barefoot Bar, at the Marriott, at Kalapaki Beach, near Nawiliwili Harbor.  (That's a mouthful!)  Fish Taco's are $3/each and I think beer is $4.  I don't drink beer, so I usually stick with iced tea, so my whole tab is less than $10.  The 'Taco Tuesday' group can be anywhere from five people to a dozen, or more, depending on who is 'off island', who is in town, visitors of the regulars, etc.  "Taco Tuesday" nights are fun and information; full of laughter and more sharing of information (gossip).  

From Duke's, I head to Rob's Good Time Grill for dancing. The venue is sort of a sports bar and the 2.5 hour playlist includes West Coast Swing, Hustle, Night Club 2, County Two Step, East Coast Swing with a couple of cha cha's and line dances thrown in for good measure.  A good night usually has about 20 of us 'regular' dancers. Sometimes visitors show up, having found us by searching dancing on Kauai online.  It's always a fun night and everyone is super friendly.  

Wednesday has been my day to go kayaking with Margie recently.  We've kayaked on four different rivers so far and we have found some great spots to 'put in'.  Margie is a co-organizer with the local Meetups.com group, so she'll eventually post our kayaking plans so others can join us.

Thursday is usually my day to stay home to rest, read, relax, and rejuvenate.  It's also a good day to catch up on laundry, housework, emails and bills. 

Friday and Saturday nights usually have a lot of last minute options.  I've attended the Hanapepe art walk, gone to a movie, heard concerts at the community college, gone to dinner, and many other one time events I find listed in the local Garden Island newspaper calendar.    

This weekend two fun opportunities have appeared.  Rodney, a friend I met while visiting Kauai last March arrived back on the island early in December. He lives on the North Shore and I live on the South Shore, so it's a trek for either one of us.  He's driving to the South Shore to see the sights in my corner of the world.  It will be interesting to catch up with him since it's been almost a year since we boogie boarded at Hanalei Bay. My how time flies....  

On Sunday afternoon, I've been invited to try Argentine Tango with a small group in Koloa. I don't know a thing about Argentine Tango, so I'm looking forward to giving it a try. 

Dance opportunities are plentiful here!  Nawiliwili Yacht Club sponsors a dance one Friday a month and Salsa dancing is offered one Saturday a month at one of the resorts. The communities of Koloa, Kalaheo, Kileaua, Hanapepe and Lihue all have dance lessons and open dancing, too. In addition to Tuesday night, Rob's has more swing dancing on Thursday and line dancing on Wednesday nights.  It was quite surprising to me how much dancing goes on here.  It's a relatively small group of dancers, but they are very active. We have ballroom, salsa, swing, Argentine tango, and line dancing.  One could go dancing five or six nights a week. I would never have imagined so much dancing on an island with a population of less than 70,000 people.  It's a good thing I packed my dance shoes! 

Depending on the weather (we get a lot of rain in Kalaheo and it is "winter"), I head out for a hike or go snorkeling about once each week. I used to go to Zumba classes, but I've been too busy to attend lately.

I manage to make it to the post office to check for mail once or twice per week.  I'm weaning myself away from technology a bit, so some days I don't even check my email.  On the mainland, I used to multi-task all the time. I used to catch up with friends via cell phone while driving, even though I knew it wasn't a good idea.  It's against the law to talk or text on your cell phone while driving here. It's been good for me to have 'down time' and just drive and enjoy the scenery.

Because the island is so small and very community oriented, I run into people I know constantly. Of course, we all stop and talk (gossip) so, I end up being late for just about everything I had planned. But, no worries, we are all on 'island time' and being late is perfectly acceptable here. Indeed, I've been accused of being early when I sometimes actually arrive somewhere on time.  Imagine me, Kathy Cooper, being 15 minutes late for everything I do.....just doesn't make sense since I've always been a stickler for promptness. So, in keeping with the new me, I have a new moniker.  I'm now known here as Kathleen, or even "Kate", which I find very funny.  She is the one who is late. She is the no makeup, ball cap wearing, kayaker / hiker / snorkeler.  

I haven't even mentioned all of the spur of the moment invitations and opportunities that appear each week; Meetup excursions, hikes, sailing (haven't done that yet!), massage school specials, garage sales, ad hoc dancing practice, craft fairs, movie nights and more, but by now I'm sure you have a good concept of my life here. Perhaps you also now understand why my blog postings are so sporadic.

Additionally, last month, I spent time with new friends who were visiting the island ~ Kasia, from Poland and Olga, from California, as well as my cousin Diane.  Diane invited me to spend five fun days on Oahu, an island I had not explored before, and we had a blast.  

Kathy and Olga ~ Kalalau Trail

Diane and Kathy in Waikiki

Before I know it the day /week / month has flown by; filled with people, food, exercise, fresh air, sunshine and rainbows, and new experiences. 

Even though I only left the corporate world a little over three months ago, it feels like a lifetime.  

I believe I still have a lot of things to do, people to see, and places to go.  Is it any wonder that I will, most likely, extend my six month lease for a while longer?