Long Time No Post

Well, A-LO-HA!  A friend from my old Ohio life recently contacted me via the blog that that I created 5 short / long years ago. 

This blog was intended to be a means to update my friends and family regarding my 1 year adventure on Kauai.  It turns out that it's been almost 6 years since I moved here, and a very long time since I last posted anything on the Kauai Kathy blog. 

It seems absolutely incredible, and somewhat impossible, that I have been on Kauai for this long. So much for the one year plan. It's shocking really, when I consider that my intent was to live in Hawaii for only 6 months, or 1 year at the most. I sincerely believed when I moved here, that I was taking a brief sabbatical from the corporate world. 

I had all my ducks lined up to return to my Ohio life: 

• My friend, Tree, agreed to take over my job for one year. 
• I had a tenant signed up to lease my home for one year. 
• My ex husband took in my two dear kitties for one year. 
• I placed my belongings in storage on a month by month basis. 

But, in spite of all my plans and ideas, it turns out that The Universe had a magically different plan. One that has never ceased to amaze me with the gifts and blessings that I receive on a daily basis. 

It's a daunting task to think of recapping the past 5  years. Where to begin? What to cover? What are my successes and struggles? How do I convey in the briefest, yet informative and interesting, way possible what has transpired? Does anyone even give a hoot when I've been gone from my old life for so long? 

This afternoon I re-read my previous posts. It's amazing to see the narrow perspective I had when I arrived.  Oh, how things have evolved. My knowledge and views of this little island have expanded exponentially. 

In some ways, the time has passed in the blink of an eye. Especially because, unlike Ohio, the seasons never change here. It's one continuous summer. How fantastic is that? 

In other ways, I have grown, healed, and matured. In that sense, it seems like a lifetime. My Kauai Kathy life is so different than Corporate Kathy's. 

It may take a fair number of posts to cover with how my life has turned out (so far), so hang in there. (Why do I feel like I am only talking to myself? But, even if that is the case,  that will be OK. It seems like a good time to review my journey thus far.) 

As for my bullet points above: Tree gave up the frustrating work gig a number of years ago. She has happily retired to the Gulf coast of Florida. 

I still own my house in NE Ohio.  Believe it or not, I have had only two tenants in all this time.  The current family is delightful and trustworthy. Perhaps one day they will buy The Manor and I will cut my proverbial umbilical cord to Ohio. We'll see. In the meantime, the rental income is helpful. And, psychologically, it's beneficial to have a place to go if I should want / need to go 'home'.  (And, by the way, where IS home?  Johnstown, where I grew up and lived for 27 years?  Or Ohio, where I spent 27 years working and learning who I was as an adult?) 

As far as my kitties are concerned, one of my cats, Indy, still lives on and is very spoiled in his new home. Sadly, my dear sweet Siamese, Smitty Kitty passed on a couple of years ago. He SHOULD have lived many more years and leaving him behind is one of my few regrets. 

My Ohio storage unit was cleared out several years ago, so any baggage that remains, I carry with me on Kauai, literally and figuratively. 

I have a lot to ponder regarding how, when, and if to update the Kauai Kathy blog. In the meantime, this post confirms that I am alive and well / happy and healthy. A bit older and maybe a little wiser.  

Even though I've had the opportunities to visit a dozen other countries during the past 5 1/2 years, I may be ready for an entirely new adventure. Stay tuned!