The Lure of the Islands

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Aloha!
“She had loved islands from the time she spent her first summer on one. She was eight at the time. Thirty-four now, she still felt the island aura – – an isolation that made worries seem distant, a separation from the real world that lent itself to dreams.”
From “Sweet Salt Air” by Barbara Delinsky

And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?
When I was a sophomore in high school, my family had the good fortune to spend Christmas break on one of the Florida Keys. Having left snow, sleet, and icy roads behind in the Midwest, I was immediately hooked. Why doesn’t everybody live here? I wondered. And when I first came to Maui, I wondered the same thing. But being so far from the mainland isn’t for everyone. Or how slow the pace of life is. Or how hard it is to get things. Or, and this is a biggee…the high cost of everything, particularly real estate.

So what draws those who live on islands to be there? With the pace of life today, I offer another quote, this one from Oliver Wendell Holmes: “I would not give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.”

So maybe THAT’s what it’s all about. I get letters weekly from people who want to move to Maui and have many questions. Is everyone just really trying to get to the simplicity on the other side of the complexity that our world has become?

A hui hou! If you’d like to stay in the loop, please click the “Follow” button to the right, or on the Homepage.

Aloha, Jamaica

6 thoughts on “The Lure of the Islands”

  1. Great to see you and read you again! Hope things are calming down and are peaceful for you in Maui.

    On Tue, May 31, 2016 at 1:43 PM, Your Daily Dose of Paradise with Jamaica Michaels–A Maui Blog wrote:

    > jamaicawtr posted: “Aloha! “She had loved islands from the time she spent > her first summer on one. She was eight at the time. Thirty-four now, she > still felt the island aura – – an isolation that made worries seem distant, > a separation from the real world that lent itself to” >

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  2. I love your blogs on Maui. I am one of those who has a strong pull to live on the island, but my husband not so much. However, he may be for living there part-time.

    I love your articles and wish there were more. I like the practical day-to-day advice and input, such as, getting highlights in my hair that are affordable on the island. I would like to hear about medical insurance and medical care from you very much!

    Thank you,

    Peggy

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    • Aloha Peggy,
      Well, there is a bumper sticker that says, “I survived Maui Memorial.” (The hospital). The joke is that you check in, but you never check out… Take that for what you will. My personal experience with surgery there was a nightmare, it was botched three times. My circle of friends dicuss that Maui is not a great place to grow old, because of the health care. There is also the high cost of living to consider. When I asked my brother-in-law why he would choose to not live in Hawaii though he vacations there all the time, his answer was, “Economics. Why would I live in a place where a box of cereal is eight dollars when I can get it for $3.50 in Virginia?”
      This is a subject for a lot of debate, of course…the sunshine and beauty can trump almost anything!
      Aloha, Jamaica

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  3. I bounced back here (Wailea) a couple weeks ago with my brother and parents. Even though we have had a place here since the early 80’s, this is my first time back since my ill-fated honeymoon in 1984.
    My parents (now in their 90’s) made a comment a few weeks ago that they would like to see their place on Maui “one more time”. Whether they know something the rest of us don’t… waits to be seen. Never the less, here we are, escorting them around the island.
    Dad & I spent a wonderful day yesterday playing the Pukalani Golf Course, and fell in love with “upcountry” (as you pointed out, quite foreign to us “beach-people”!)
    So long story short… I started reaserching the upcountry lifestyle, found your blog, laughed my guts out at most of them, cried at a few, but never the less, have decided to join you at the Farmers Market in the morning and will probably catch the Wahine Cup at the Polo Club on Sunday.
    So if you see a couple middle-aged, middle-spread, overly white haole’s with their parents in tow… Stop us and say “Aloha”!
    A hui hou,
    Eric

    P.S. If you’re wondering what I’m doing responding to a strangers blog at 4:30 in the morning while on vacation?
    Its an ironic syndrome I go through where I have a hard time sleeping the first half of my time in paradise while I “detox” from mainland life, then can’t sleep for the last half as I dread going back. I should probably learn from your blog and just stay here! But I would need to find a new place to live in upcountry 😁

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    • Aloha Eric,
      Thanks for writing and for your observations. And I have to say that my experience of vacationing on Maui was almost exactly like yours….trying first to calm down, then dreading going back. 😊
      Enjoy your time on the island!
      Aloha, Jamaica

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