Posted on 8/29/2023
Maui, Molokai and Kauai. Not our first visit to the islands, but our first trip there together. Just the 3 of us. Over caffeinated, sleep-deprived, working off adrenaline. A delay threatens our west coast connection. Barely, we make our flight. Barely. No bad days in Maui, we chant.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Settle down. Settle in. Snooze. Snore. Startle.

Aloha, we hear. Aloha, we say.

Whisked away under Maui’s magical moon, we are giddy as high-school
cheerleaders just before the first football game. What if we lose internet? What if we can’t keep up with work? Or we miss the news? What if we don’t care?
No Bad Days in Maui, we sing.

Seaside with friends. Plates of small Monte Cristos on sweet bread rolls with a cheese flatbread drizzled in garlic oil. Chased by scoops of chocolate gelato. Waves crashing against the seawall, half-moon over Maui paired with a welcoming warm sea breeze.
No Bad Days in Maui, we think in sync.

Our buzz dies down. We navigate the palm-lined pathways leading to our condo. What does one really need in Maui, we wonder. Why did we pack so much? Just in case, we say. Just in case.
We reckoned the Polynesian explorers packed lighter than us when they glided from island to island in their outriggers.

Venturing on through our beachfront village with its palm trees, pools and exotic flowers, we chant No Bad Days in Maui.

Key pad works. Aloha vibes beckon us into a cheerful kaleidoscope of bold colors.

On to the lanai. A warm, west wind crashes into raucous waves. Almost Heaven. Western Maui.
And then to the closet to stash our stuff.
We open the closet door to a makana, a precious gift.
What? Who? How? Wow!
Not one. Not Two, but Three. Three matching camouflage colored T
shirts hang there patiently awaiting our discovery.
No Bad Days in Maui the shirts say on the back.
Who do we owe? How did they know? Our sizes? Our mantra?
Mahalo. Thank You. Mahalo. Mahalo.
We slip into a sea induced coma. No Bad Days in Maui, we dream.

First day in paradise. Front Street, Lahaina
Town for a whale watching mis-adventure.
We wear our matching No Bad Days in
Maui shirts.
Art galleries, surf shops, tattoo studios.
Street vendors serving up shrimp and fish
tacos. Cheeseburgers in Paradise. The ancient Banyan Tree. The Royals. Izzy the famous Hawaiian troubadour fills us with aloha.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I (please right-click to hear Izzy sing)

We meet Auntie Joan. She welcomes us as ohana…family. We learn that Lahaina was the seat of power for the Hawaiian Kingdom in the 16th century. Then came missionaries, whalers, plantation workers, travelers, tourists.
Tiny town. Huge history.
Burned to the ground now. Churches. Shops. Hotels. Homes. Dreams. Destinies.

The people of Maui. They are resilient, they love their island. They know about catastrophes. Catastrophes that obliterate a community in an instant.
Hurricanes. Tsunamis. Earthquakes.
Volcanoes.
Lahaina Town will come back. Their
language, their dance, their song, their artisanship, their agriculture. Their traditions. Their stories.

Pono. Just right. Balanced. Sustainable. Lahaina Town will come back stronger, better. Pono.

As Auntie Joan would put it, “No worry, honey, no worry. Together, we figure it out.”
No More Bad Days in Maui, we pray. No More Bad Days in Maui.

To contribute to Maui’s recovery please click here:
https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strong
Please visit us at www.justkeepgrowing.biz