Living in Hawaii for 15-years has conditioned me to its climate, culture and literally, the airborne spores that one breathes.
I was reminded by my acupuncturist friend that it took her two years to acclimatize when she moved to Hawaii 10-years ago. Now coincidentally, she is back in LA and just treated me for symptoms she called “trapped wind”. My memory was jarred to the time when I lived in Pacific Palisades for ten years and always felt a damp cold chill in my back which led me to sleeping in a bed jacket. Nights in Hawaii are much more mild; in fact, the change of temperature from day to night is only 10 or 15 degrees. Then I remembered that it actually took me two years to really adjust to Hawaii and now I am recalibrating to LA!
It’s a process. It’s not just the weather, but the massive increase in population and electricity. When I started out in Hawaii, I lived for seven years in a rural community of about 3000 residents. The electrical current flowing in the atmosphere was minimal. Many lived ‘off the grid’ so that accounted for at least 10 or 15% – not much demand – so imagine the quietude and lack of ‘buzz’ in the environment! When I would fly to LA or NYC from my home in the country, I was shocked into major stimulation. Moving from Kohala on the Big Island to Honolulu was an improvement in that respect; it’s a small city, less than a million population but there’s much more electrical current buzzing around than in the country. So it was much less shocking to go to LA or NYC from Honolulu. Maybe it’s me, but my sensibilities were challenged, big time.
So here I am again, back in the big city. Although my little mountain retreat here is neatly tucked beneath an old grove of oak trees, still the air is different. Actually, I love where I am living and after only being here for one month, feel like this is an anchor for me and my beloved Jered. I am slowly adapting and today I’m baking in the California sun. Oh, I miss the sun in Hawaii – and the sea on The Big Island with the soft, clear sand between my toes. A ritual Jered and I had was joining the sun as it was setting. We walked the shore and sometimes replaced a shower with a long swim. Now, if I want to immerse my body in healing waters I have to drive to a nearby hot springs. Believe it or not, there is a natural hot spring near the La Brea Tar Pits. Makes sense that healing waters are nearby. This is now my “ocean”.
Even a deeper layer of recalibration is the call to reactivate my career. This makes me dizzy; I’ve shed so many skins in my life and now I’m growing a whole new one. Patience and perseverance.