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^ I don't see the honeymoon ever wearing off. My wife and I are very low key. If someone is just going 20MPH in a 45MPH zone, we just put on some Jack Johnson, and go with the flow. As Jack always says in "Inaudible Melodies", "slow down everyone, you're moving too fast". AMEN to that! No need to stress and cause an accident, and get angry. Just be mellow. Maybe that person is an older driver, or just had a bad day at work. I don't want to make his day any worse, by honking at him(which is a BIG NO NO here in Hawai'i). We just like to "fly low and avoid the radar".
Unfortunately, some employers will dock one's pay if they're even one minute late to work. "Tutu" or "Uncle" might be simply going someplace like their morning exercise class or McDonald's or they could be "high", drunk, or simply "over-medicated." In any event, driving too slow can be as hazardous as driving too fast, which is one of the reasons some places in Hawai'i have "minimum" speed limit signs. While it would be nice to "slow down" and simply listen to Jack Johnson music all day, doing so is not going to pay the rent or put food on the table for many folks.
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Originally Posted by Dr. Vox
As for living 3,000 miles away from the mainland, I personally love it! I spent a few summers living in Hawai'i and working at the Westin Kaanapali as a lifeguard, and staying with relatives in upcountry Makawao. After 3 months of living, I always cried when I left Hawai'i. It was like saying goodbye to your immediate family. It actually hurt leaving, and I've never felt that way about anywhere I've been, and believe me, I have travelled to many places. I have family that life all over from California, Arizona, New York and Florida. We love one another, but I've learned that nothing last forever, and while we still love each other deeply, being apart, and seeing each other for holidays makes it far more special.
Some folks love Hawai'i immensely, while some folks love other places more. Some folks love their families, while some folks can't get far enough away from their families.
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Originally Posted by Dr. Vox
We shop at a place regularly called "Down to Earth" in Kahului which is a vegetarian grocery store in Hawai'i(and absolutely amazing, I might add), and yes, I have found a few cashiers want to shoot the breeze and talk. That's fine. I enjoy immersing myself, and being part of the culture here. I love hearing about peoples backgrounds and their lives. Its very fascinating. If my stuff melts, it melts. I just put it back, and get a new one, and go back home.
While it's enjoyable to "talk story" with the cashiers at some of the local grocery stores, it is a business and extensive "on-the-clock" socializing by the staff can cut into productivity and profits. I've seen too many locally-owned stores in Hawai'i go out of business, only to be replaced by somewhat impersonal and more efficient corporate giants like Wal-Mart, Target, Safeway, etc.
Despite it's image as a "paradise", Hawai'i can be a tough place to live for some folks. Hopefully, one's "honeymoon" with Hawai'i never wears off, since Hawai'i can be somewhat vindictive when it comes to "divorce court."
^We lived WAY BELOW our means when my wife and I first got married(i.e. hardly ever ate out, no frivolous expenses, only one car, very inexpensive mortgage, no kids). This allowed us to put thousands of dollars in mutual funds which compounded at a very generous interest rate over the life of 30 years. We did splurge on a very nice house in a subdivision of Kihei, but that's the extent of us splurging. We still have one car(a Nissan Leaf, that is 100% electric), and have money to help out others who are less fortunate financially then we have been. Living below our means, has helped us to achieve this dream of ours of living here. Many people would look at my wife and I and think we were nuts for having such a little house, or just one used car, but we saw the goal and worked towards it, and we couldn't be happier.
I am also one of those people that loves distance from families, and I love you can't drive anywhere but on the island. I tend to be a homebody by nature, and activities that are enough for me, are surfing, swimming, playing my piano (15 years), reading and hiking, and watching Lakers games(which Hawaii will get all of beginning in 2012). With the advent age of technology and computers with skype, smartphones(i.e iphones), and ereaders such as kindles, I pretty much have everything I need at my fingertips. What else really is there to want?
Sounds like Hawaii is a perfect fit for you and yours, Dr. V. Wave "hello" to all the folks you don't know and help everyone else enjoy the day, too. Hawaii is a wonderful place and folks are a huge part of why it is.
We've been living below our means for a long time and are now buying a house without having to touch the retirement savings. We were surprised! Fortunately, folks around here don't ever expect us to drive a new car so that's never been a concern about us being nuts. Well, actually, they have lots of other reasons to think we are nuts but half the time they seem to end up joining us so perhaps everyone wants to go nuts sometimes.
^We lived WAY BELOW our means when my wife and I first got married(i.e. hardly ever ate out, no frivolous expenses, only one car, very inexpensive mortgage, no kids). This allowed us to put thousands of dollars in mutual funds which compounded at a very generous interest rate over the life of 30 years. We did splurge on a very nice house in a subdivision of Kihei, but that's the extent of us splurging. We still have one car(a Nissan Leaf, that is 100% electric), and have money to help out others who are less fortunate financially then we have been. Living below our means, has helped us to achieve this dream of ours of living here. Many people would look at my wife and I and think we were nuts for having such a little house, or just one used car, but we saw the goal and worked towards it, and we couldn't be happier.
I am also one of those people that loves distance from families, and I love you can't drive anywhere but on the island. I tend to be a homebody by nature, and activities that are enough for me, are surfing, swimming, playing my piano (15 years), reading and hiking, and watching Lakers games(which Hawaii will get all of beginning in 2012). With the advent age of technology and computers with skype, smartphones(i.e iphones), and ereaders such as kindles, I pretty much have everything I need at my fingertips. What else really is there to want?
No wonder you're so happy in Hawai'i, few things bring as much satisfaction as achieving one's dreams.
As long as one doesn't have any dreams like solving the transportation woes, improving the public schools, and ameliorating the financial problems of the State of Hawai'i, that "honeymoon" can last indefinately.
Geez, Jonah, it sounds like you have a problem with Dr. Vox's happiness. (You do a lot of sticking out your tongue at him). I can totally agree with him because we are retired and living the "good life" in Hawaii. I, too, enjoy talking story in the checkout line, and am glad that I'm not in such a ball-busting hurry that you appear to be caught in. Yes, we do drive slower here, and walk slower here, and enjoy the scenery and the people that we came to Hawaii to find.
I didn't solve transportation woes, didn't improve the public schools, and didn't solve the financial problems of the state I moved from, so why do you think I try to do that here? What I do, however, is volunteer in our local school and help individual children to learn more and improve their lives. I also help with various groups in the community to raise money for our local hospital, and I donate to the local food bank. And guess what, we always talk story while we work. And we enjoy each others' company.
Yes, you can slow down and enjoy life and connect with others on a real basis. I'm not driving 70 mph rushing around in some sort of "busy" life that achieves nothing.
^ Thanks for your comment Dreaming of Hawaii. I don't mind Jonah poking a little fun at me.Its all in good fun. One of the reasons I love living here as well, is no freeways(I live in Maui, not Oahu). My wife was nearly killed on a freeway in California awhile back. Some person cut her off, and she slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting him. Her car flipped over twice, and her airbag didn't even deplete. The car was completely totaled, and she walked away without a scratch...thanks to the seatbelt! After this situation, we just realize how precious life is on this frail little planet that we live on. One minute you are here, the next you aren't. I'm incredibly humbled and blessed every day to live in such a beautiful place with beautiful people.
Geez, Jonah, it sounds like you have a problem with Dr. Vox's happiness. (You do a lot of sticking out your tongue at him). I can totally agree with him because we are retired and living the "good life" in Hawaii. I, too, enjoy talking story in the checkout line, and am glad that I'm not in such a ball-busting hurry that you appear to be caught in. Yes, we do drive slower here, and walk slower here, and enjoy the scenery and the people that we came to Hawaii to find.
Folks who achieved their "dreams" by sacrificing and living below their means will end up helping to pay for the State's profligate ways. While many folks are happy to "slow down" and enjoy the scenery of Hawai'i, the State Legislature and various County Councils are "speeding up" when it comes to finding ways of separating people from their hard-earned dollars. Abercrombie contributed to financial debacle - Mauinews.com
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Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii
I didn't solve transportation woes, didn't improve the public schools, and didn't solve the financial problems of the state I moved from, so why do you think I try to do that here? What I do, however, is volunteer in our local school and help individual children to learn more and improve their lives. I also help with various groups in the community to raise money for our local hospital, and I donate to the local food bank. And guess what, we always talk story while we work. And we enjoy each others' company.
No one expects folks in Hawai'i to do much of anything, which is one of the reasons why the state has some of the same problems that it had 40 years ago, plus a few new ones...
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Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii
Yes, you can slow down and enjoy life and connect with others on a real basis. I'm not driving 70 mph rushing around in some sort of "busy" life that achieves nothing.
I don't "rush around" leading a "busy" life either, but I probably should, considering what Neil Abercrombie, Brian Schatz, Peter Carlisle, Billy Kenoi, Alan Arakawa, Bernard Carvalho, Shan Tsutsui, Calvin Say, and other elected officials in Hawai'i are doing. Maintaining "paradise" is hard work, but someone's got to do it...
On second thought, it's probably better to take a page from Dr. Vox's book and continue to live below my means, enjoy the fresh Hawaiian air and sunshine, and relish eating Spam musubi, so that my tax money can help my elected officials eat steak and lobster and fund their "pet" projects.
Well, it looks like there's at least one person who misses Lingle and Aiona. Though I would think you'd like Bernard. Bet you thought it was a good idea spending 40 Mil on a private ferry.
But it does sound like you work hard jetting between the mainland and the BI.
My honeymoon phase worn off pretty quick, as soon as my son attended pre-school, 2 months after we moved here. Only less than 5 miles from our home, in average it takes me 30 min to drive there, the first 15-20 min just to pass 4 red lights, and then 30 min back which is wasted on merge lanes. Pick him up; another 30 min there, 30 min back. My me time to enjoy Hawaii was pretty much spent on the commute, I'd like to drive NOT during rush hour but school or work doesn't revolved around my needs.
I still like living here, but I wouldn't die when it's time for us to leave. I would definitely miss the food, but not really, if we become expatriate in South East Asia
Well, it looks like there's at least one person who misses Lingle and Aiona. Though I would think you'd like Bernard. Bet you thought it was a good idea spending 40 Mil on a private ferry.
Actually, I couldn't wait to see Linda Lingle and "Duke" Aiona go. Lingle was probably the worst Hawai'i governor since statehood and hopefully, she won't run for U.S. Senate. Carvalho's a nice guy, but he's not exactly the "sharpest tack in the drawer"; however, if he doesn't screw up too much, he might end up getting appointed as a UH Regent one of these days.
I miss Hawai'i politicians like John Burns, Frank Fasi, Neil Blaisdell, Hiram Fong, Cec Heftel, Patsy Mink, and Harry Kim. While none of these folks was perfect, most were better than their successors.
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Originally Posted by KauaiHiker
But it does sound like you work hard jetting between the mainland and the BI.
When one is retired, bimonthly travel to manage one's properties located 2,500 miles apart can be considered "hard work."
There have been battles and wars fought in places that seem "peaceful" to tourists and newcomers who know little about its history. There are folks who are taken aback when "friendly" locals decide to go on strike or call them "haole" with a few adjectives thrown in for good measure. And, a hurricane, earthquake, tsunami, torrential downpour, or flash flood often shatters the myth of "perfect weather" that some folks possess when it comes to Hawai'i.
Compared to some places, Hawai'i is a pretty good place to live; however, it's not perfect by a "long shot."
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