A long and interesting day

After a slightly tense morning, the day flip flopped into a sweet, nice day.

Me and one of my dudes spent the day in Kahalui. Just me and him. We started our adventure by going to a garden. We were going to go to a play ground at a park- but the GPS misdirected me and then I decided to ask my little guy where to turn. We ended up about a block from our original destination at a playground at the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens. As I posted a few days ago, I wanted to go here anyway and turns out I didn't even have to try to convince him. We played lava and monkeys for a bit and then took a nice stroll around the garden. We talked about native and non native plants and the difference between mulberries in michigan and their Polynesian cousins (which are freakin' gigantic, green and a little bit rough).
After that, we checked out story time at the library. The sweet little old lady, Alice, who runs it themed the day around creepy crawlies. She sang my favorite old-lady-rhyme about ladybugs that always freaks little kids (and me) out:

Lady Bug, Lady Bug
Fly away home
Your house is on fire,
And your children are gone
All but Ann,
Who hid under a frying pan

It kinda cracked me up, because I could see the kids faces twist and get confused and she had no clue that it was weird to sing. Too funny.

After that, we went to get some food at his favorite place- Panda Express (yes, plain chow main noodles- haha, the best in Maui?) And then ran errands- where I was charged 40 dollars extra on my card at Whole Foods. WHAT DAAAAAAAAAAA?!!? Even after he totally charmed the cash register when we were giggling about the lack of kombucha- 'Awwwww Pickles! They were outta ginger kombucha! Wait, Wait, wait, wait! Awwwwwwww Coconuts! they were out of ginger kombucha.... wait, wait, Awwwwww Pickles!" hahah It was tooo cute! But really- has anyone ever dealt with that? What can you do after you figure that out you were incredibly overcharged because the cash register was distracted by an adorable child AFTER you don't get a receipt??!?!!?! 63 dollars for a handful of groceries..... Geez oh PETES!

On the way home (and every where we go) the dudes like me to tell them stories off the top of my head and its starting to get really hard. I know that the more I practice oral story telling, the better it will get and the more creative juices will flow but I'm sort of at a stand still.  Anyone with ideas SHOOT! Give 'em to me. Story starters, story lines, anything?

After we got back, I went to yoga. It was a very strange practice for me. The class wass titled, "Jungle Flow" and is supposed to be a power class. I usually am all about power classes but I'm so used to I am my fav instructor. And all the instructors I've ever had have been trained by the best of the best at Hilltop Yoga- the creme de la creme of studios. I want sanskrit names and gentle readjustments. I want sweet, smooth instructions not "YOOOOOOU CANNNN DUUUOOOOOO IIIIIIIIIT" aerobics yoga. I want power vinyasa paired with beautiful philosophy. I really need come to terms with the fact that no teacher will EVER be like Court. I feel like a disgruntled first grade student right now, and I know for damn well sure I sound like one. All teachers are different. I know this, because being trained in elementary school- I know that teachers can be different and wonderful. And trying to find a carbon copy will never happen. But, I'm still adjusting and WHUTEVER I'm just feeling and my feeling is frustrated haha.
Anyway the reason the practice was weird (other than the Tony Little factor). I felt very at home and safe in the Makawao studio but while feeling so at home and at peace with being in Maui I felt so far from my fam and pham in Michigan. It was weird. Like a mix between that ultimate feeling of love saturating into your being just by practicing in a room of pure happy yogi energy and a distance from that room- feeling not left out or unwanted but just almost judged. And I don't even think that judged is the right word. And it wasn't that I was comparing myself or even that the teacher or other students were judging me. I just felt like a bent puzzle piece- I fit in but something wasn't right. I almost cried in more than one pose and I'm not sure if I stopped myself or I just didn't need to. I don't know. After practice, sitting in my car I still had that yoga brain yoga high and it was nice. On the drive home, I started to feel a lot happier and remembered all the love that I have in my life. Feeling grateful for that helped me to rebound out of that and radiate it back to all the wonderful babes in my life- anyone who is reading this probably should have felt a little of that.

OMG I FORGOT THE BEST PART ABOUT YOGA TODAY: OMG OMG OMG

I WAS IN DOWNWARD DOG AND IN ONE OF MY WEIRD MOMENTS AND THEN A LITTLE PUPPY RAN INTO THE STUDIO AND LICKED MY FACE AND SNUGGLED MY ARM AND IT WAS THE CUTEST THING IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD AND I GIGGLED AND IT WAS IRONIC TO BE IN DOWNWARD DOG AND HAVE A PUPPY RIGHT UNDER MY NOSE AND IT WAS AMAZING AND ONE OF THE BEST YOGA MOMENTS EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think all of what I was feeling was just part of my adjustment. I am in the process of declaring my fourth home in life- first NY, the Northport, then Lansing now Kula. I know that of all the places I could have landed, this is the best for my soul right now. Kombucha, made in house, on tap at several local markets. Yoga studios in every town. Water. Mountains. Kids. Waldorf. Its the perfect culture and the perfect next chapter. I just need to find my peace- which I feel like 90% of the time. I am lucky and I know it.

Anyway, coming to a close- my good friends Gordy and Brooke want to visit Maui soon- and I'd really like to visit the Big Island soon too. AND I came home to a facebook friend request from a Leelanau county girl who is living in Makawao. MakaWOW is that cool. Friends! People I love! Yay! And HawaiiFunSuzy is coming home soon too! I need to stop being such a baby and go to bed.

There is no need to complain about living in Maui.

Aloha Pumehana,

Betsy