10 Things I Like About Hawaii

1) Flowers that smell like heaven...

2) Having the ocean as my backyard...

3) Baby albatross...

4) Stars and moonshine through the palm trees...

5) Rainy season...

6) Ben Stiller...

7) Rainbow trees...

8) Tropical fruit year-round...

9) Sunsets on the water...

10) Roads that always find their way to the sea...

Gratitude

Today wasn't so great, but it was. Not able to do anything of worth (a.k.a. writing) and not having to do anything of work (a.k.a. piano), I spent my time "wasting" it. There was a Mountain Dew involved. A healthy dose of chick flicks. And a good book (it was The Good Earth ) in the twilight. As the last of the day faded off, I played my piano looking out on the distant sleepy sea bordered by twinkles from the nearby seaside town and covered with a night-cloud blanket. Talk about inspiration. I'm still in a minor (I hope) rut of uncreativity and crabbiness, but looking out on the beautiful wet world while smelling sweet marsala chicken cooking on the stove made life just a little better. There are so many things I take for granted. Days without sickness, for instance. And music and books and peace and love. The twilight of every day. The option of coffee or tea. Winding roads. The ocean. Family. A good church. Imagination. A blog where I can ramble unhindered. I have more than I deserve or ever will.

We were even blessed with a bit of rain this weekend...

The Color of a Raincloud

If only the world were always the color of a raincloud, and the wet light slept on the cold ground instead of glaring in our eyes...

Melancholic as it might be, I find myself rejoicing in rainy mornings. The harshness of the tropic sun is dampened with the moisture. The green and gold world out my window is not quite so gaudy, and I feel more at home.

Yesterday had such a morning. It wasn't torrential or completely gloomy, but I'll take what I can get. In between showers, the sun shone bright on the spectacular sea.

A thousand miles beyond this sun-steeped wall

Somewhere the waves creep cool along the sand...

~Sara Teasdale