Synchronicity and Remembrance

Mirror Lake, Chugiak, Alaska

Last weekend I got an impulse to start checking the internet for a place and people I knew 30 years ago.    I was married to a Coast Guard man at the time and he was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska.  We bought a fixer-upper home in a small town named Chugiak, Alaska.  I spent several hours glued to my computer screen as I found several links to articles that mentioned two women who I knew there.  I was remembering how much I appreciated the invitations to join their women’s group.  I remembered the older couple up the hill who had lived there for years who included us in the neighborhood potluck and welcomed us into the neighborhood.  I was 30 and had two young daughters.  I was isolated and in an old, very run down house that needed more energy and work than we had in us.  I’ve never been so exhausted at the end of each day as we rebuilt this little building back to a livable situation.  It was a humbling experience (the first time I was ashamed of the house I lived in) and very difficult at times (frozen car locks, shoveling out before we could leave the driveway, sliding to a stop in the car when the ice was thick on the roads) but the beauty of the people and the environment was at times so wonderful that it was unbelievable.   I rediscovered the old values of neighbor helping neighbor, creating family where there was none, and involvement in the community. 

So,  I found a link on the internet that mentioned one woman I was searching for.  Her son had just married in Hawaii last year.   And would you believe that he lives in my town in California?!   Talk about a small world.   So I called and left a message that I was trying to get in contact with his Mom.  Then Presto!  She called me a few days later.   And she is coming to California next month to see her son.  We’ll have lunch or coffee and talk.   That is synchronicity.  I am grateful for the opportunity to see her again and to thank her in person for including me in her social network.    Isn’t the internet wonderful?

 

See some of my photos from Chugiak at http://www.embracethepossibility.org/Chugiak.html

The Big Island, Hawaii Vacation

          Akaka Falls, Hawaii                                                                               

 I just got back from a week in Hawaii on the Big Island.  It was spectacular!  The rainforests were amazing with plants that were so huge and dense that it seemed a dinosaur could appear at anytime.  The island seemed quiet except for Kilauea which was belching sulfur dioxide enough to cover the Big Island and all the other islands in the chain with dense clouds of the gas.  Though we seldom saw any blue sky during our week, it was warm and bright.  I especially loved the Hilo side of the island as it seems more like the old Hawaii versus the Kona side which is geared more toward the tourists who are looking for beaches, restaurants, and entertainment.  It was a nice balance to see both areas during our week. 

One day we drove to Pahoa to walk the old lava fields and view steam rising from the ocean where lava is now flowing from Kilauea.   We could see steam rising from places all down the mountain where cracks in the earth were releasing the sulfur dioxide gas.  The lava flow we were walking on had hardened into shapes and ropes and now ferns and other plants are coming up out of the black rock.  Land owners who’s property was completely covered by lava flow are now rebuilding out in the middle of the lava rock field. One house was spared the lava and sits alone, surrounded by lush green plants that are surrounded by acres of lava rock.  It’s an oasis in the middle of a lava field.  There were realtor signs in the rock lava announcing property for sale, if you would like to buy a nice piece of Hawaii!  Talk about owning a piece of the rock!

How about you?  What location could you recommend for a relaxing and interesting vacation?

Rainbow Falls, Hawaii