Eleven year ago today, I cashed in my dream - my one way ticket to Maui to live. I arrived safe and sound without my luggage, or a phone. Waiting to pick me up was my landlord's son, whom I had never met. Thankfully, Daniel was a nice kid, and drove me to my new home where I was expecting the boxes I had shipped to be waiting. They were not.
Daniel took me on a little shopping trip so I could get a bathing suit and a phone. I thought that would be enough to get me by until my belongings arrived. When I got back to my empty apartment I plugged the phone in and called home. I didn't stop crying for a week. What the heck was I thinking? Moving halfway across the world without knowing a soul, or having a job.
I used the sweater I was wearing when I left Minnesota as a pillow that night and curled up on the floor. And then there was a knock on the door. I answered, and there stood my saving grace - Mary Jane - my next door neighbor. She gave me a mattress to sleep on, a pillow, a blanket and a flashlight. And even though I cried myself to sleep that night, I was definitely feeling better about things. Mary really was my Hawaiian Angel. She watched over me from day one. She'd even have dinner waiting for me when I'd work late!
Every day the homesickness got better, and I started meeting people and working and I was living the dream. And then I came to a crossroads. Should I stay in Hawaii, or move back to Minnesota? I did neither. I went to Sitka to work for the summer, and met David. And then I ended up in Seattle, and here I am eleven years later.
I thank God every day that my parents were open-minded enough to let me follow my dream, and I hope I remember to allow my kids to do crazy things to follow theirs when the time comes!
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