Unexpectedly I am back in Hawai’i. I was sure that was not a thing. But here I am. I am working to do better at accepting what the world serves up. That puts me here for the Shinnyo Lantern Floating Festival. I walked down to the beach in the morning and filled out a remembrance card to go on a shared lantern. Then back in the evening to see the lanterns floated. The whole thing was very emotional coming on the day after Janelle’s birthday. And the opportunity only came after accepting the unexpected.
While the lantern floating was very spiritual, I also try to exercise what I was taught about dietary spirits. On this trip I have chosen to stay in old Honolulu rather than Waikiki. The neighborhood is a little grittier, and not as well lit at night as Waikiki. And it has a wide assortment of watering holes not solely focused on tourists.
In addition to bars for the common folk, there is a wide variety of ethnic cuisine not in tourist oriented venues. This was Vietnamese. Looking forward to Lao, Burmese, Hawaiian, Turkish, Thai, Filipino, and…
Being in downtown also puts me closer to the commercial piers. Seeing this Japan Coast Guard vessel on the dock reminded me of where we really are in the Pacific.
And then there is this. I so wish that I had better understood this. Maybe not understand, maybe just that I had been more invested in everyday that we had together. Tomorrow is not a given.
The Journey 