Time And Energy

It doesn't matter if I am in the most beautiful place you can imagine, sitting in an air conditioned room watching the sea roll on endlessly, thinking about an exciting day on a charter boat where I will fish and Emma will snorkel. It doesn't matter how interesting yesterday was, or how much fun it was to go to the McBride wedding last night. No matter how hard I try, getting up in the morning, even in this place of wonder and leisure, is still a difficult thing for me, perhaps the most difficult for me.

Emma is struggling to understand it. Even with her brain injury, she is still able to get up and go. It takes me a full half hour to get up the energy even to get dressed. Then I need to rest again so I can get into my wheelchair. This time where I sit, or lay, in bed is a time to build up the strength it takes to sit up and put on clothes. Even here in paradise.

We took a helicopter ride around the island yesterday. It wasn't a full loop, not did we get to the craters at the tops of the volcanoes that form the ridged backbone of this island of Hawaii. Instead we flew between them, the steep slopes rising on either side of us. The pilot neatly dodged the volcano fog that inevitably shrouds the peaks for much of the day, alt the while working hard to keep us out of the rain clouds that perpetually hang around the east side of Hawaii, the wet side of the island.

Hawaii, the big island, is both the largest and the youngest of the Hawaiian chain, as long as you don't include the new volcano forming below the sea just south-east of here. It is an island completely made up of volcano flows, many of them recent, some of the currently moving new lava from the bowels of the mountains out through vents and down to the sea. On the east side of the island, the trade winds blow, moist and steady. On the west side, the mountains block the wind and rain, making the Kona side drier and less windy. In fact this side of the island is nearly a desert in some places while the other side is a dense, lush, green rainforest. Of course there is plenty of green where we are, both on land and at sea.

Our flight took us over an open volcano vent, sulfur dioxide and steam pushing their way through the cracks in the new lava, the surface the hard black classic lava flow while underneath through those same cracks and holes, you could see hot magma making its way seaward by way of lava tubes. From there we went northeast, flying deep into the deep canyons with high waterfalls, the helicopter so close you could make out details of the leafy green treetops and low bushes on the steep cliff sides. It's easy to understand why they filmed parts of Jurassic Park in this location; it it the classic tropical rain forest.

After our helicopter tour we were chauffeured back to our hotel, into the waiting arms of the McBride clan gathered here for the wedding of one of their daughters. We were treated as honoured guests, given seats at the family table, fed an amazing dinner, served plenty of wonderful wine. The chatter at the table made me feel right at home; these McBride's were family for me too.

Now I have to get up. Our taxi will be here soon to take us to our fishing charter. Emma has already reminded me not to be late. I should be okay with that. It just takes time, and energy.