Too Many Smiles

I woke up this morning to that wonderful, post-endorphin from last night's run, overworked-muscles, fuzzy kind of feeling. I must have looked like one of those cartoony dogs, stretching his legs really far forward, rump high in the air, with a foot-long smile spread across his blissfully sleepy face. I declared that it was going to be a good day!

It's been great to work again. Even though it's just under-the-table babysitting, I come home appreciating my free time so much more. I've had a nice month of off-time from school stress and the impossibly German bureaucracy, and now it's back to work. Hi Ho, Hi Ho. I love it. It was what I was missing so much while studying. I really wanted to do something that benefitted others as well as me. Babysitting isn't my dream job, no, definitely not in the long run, but I do love kids and the reward is more than just cash. It's also the knowledge that stressed moms can get a nice afternoon to themselves, and gratefully take back their 3-year-old terrors after a nice 2-hour bathrobe spa and nap. And although I sometimes come crawling over my own doorstep in the evenings, snot on my shoulders, mud and grass on my butt, and rice that the kids dropped under the table smooshed into the soles of my feet, I can still look back at the day and laugh, smile, feel like I got to be a kid again too.

As of Tuesday I have 10-hours-a-day of babysitting, all the way until Saturday night. This weekend is not going unappreciated. Since I declared today a good day, even the most bane chores, like doing my parents' grocery shopping in the place with the most impossible parking situation (Kahala Mall) weren't all that bad. I actually had fun navigating through the isles of Whole Foods, trying to avoid collisions with rushed-parents and blundering tourists, unaware of their traffic-causing positioning in the store's most frequently visited junctions.

It's Sunday, no rush to get home, no traffic to beat, nothing to worry about. I relaxedly strolled through the isles containing gourmet cheeses, truffles from places I'd never heard of, wonderful creations of Goat Milk, even though I knew I wouldn't be buying any. Among the various dairy products' labels, a word sprung out and hollered for my attention: Gjetost. It's Norwegian for Goat Cheese. I don't speak Norwegian, I didn't know that word in Norwegian before, but I knew the Swedish word for Goat Cheese: Get Ost, and it just made perfect sense. Without even having to check the label, I knew I was looking at cheese from happy little goats from Norway, all the way on the other side of the world, in a store in Hawaii. Cool! The smile that was drawn out of me was even bigger that the one from my morning dog-stretch.

I still seems to be caught in that indecisive switchback loop of Hawaii-Sweden-Hawaii-Sweden.  In about a month and a half I might be heading back to my wonderful ol' wwoofer farm. But this time I'll be going with the intent of really soaking up some hard-core farm knowledge, along with more experience in the restaurant business. I really want my own farm and cafe. I want to farm and the cook and share a lovely meal. Most important thing in life, actually. If you set aside all other societal fluff (magazines, fashion, paperwork etc...) people only need a few things to survive. There are of course the artistic elements of "fluff" that are definitely necessary, music, dance, arts. I definitely hope to be able to incorporate those elements into my life as well. I just think that it's vital to start off with an honest basis.

I just finished reading Michael Pollan's, In Defense of Food, and recommend it to everyone. We read his preceding book, The Omnivore's Dilemma in our 11th grade botany class, and it became an instant favorite of mine. These books definitely serve as eye-opening reads to those who are unaware of healthy food, local farming, permaculture, food culture, etc. For me, however, these books were more like a wonderful old friend, telling a story that I've been living my whole life. I kind of want to marry Michael Pollan, because he writes exactly what is on my mind all the time. (He's happily taken though, with a wife and a son, living in the Bay.... so jealous over here!)

Between eating up brilliantly written pages, with a side of local-organic-homemade-partially-homegrown salads and other great foods I've been preparing, I've been working in my own garden. After the two weeks of thunder and rain, I've found four lovely, wiggly newcomers in my small green front-yard. Dimitri the papa-worm and his three nephews. Now I have finally been able to start a compost pile! Smile.

Spending time with my friends and family has also filled my days with lots of smiles. I recently paddled out to Chinaman's Hat, off the coast of Kualoa Beach Park, and then hiked/climbed up the rocky mountain with a friend. We spent a good two hours up on the top, laying on our backs with an upside-down view of the Jurassic Park mountains melting into the ocean and wondering what the world would be like if it were really flipped. Hahaha, a little too much natural-beauty gone to the head! Mountains are so awesome, especially where they are so perfectly positioned next to the ocean. I cannot get enough. I've decided that if i stay here, Ka'a'awa might be the place I would hope to find my own farm and cafe. Well.. we'll see about that. Maybe I should just become a dinosaur and go live in the ko'olau's for good! 

Well I've definitely had lots of fun, mixed with work and learning experiences these past few weeks. Now it's time to go prepare a nice family salad and enjoy the rest of this great day. 

Everybody remember to SMILE! :D