Hawaii

   My friend, Dana,is in Hawaii. She and her sisters are visiting their brother who lives out there. I'm sure they are having a wonderful time seeing the sights. I think her brother might be a scuba diving instructor so they may be doing a little of that too.
  I'm happy for her. She works hard and should enjoy a little R and R with her sisters.
  Hawaii is lovely. It looks beautiful and warm. There are beaches and amazing flowers. There is fresh tropical fruit and exotic foods. There are volcanoes. The people are friendly. It has a rich history and a musical sounding native language. Who wouldn't want to hop the first plane out there? Especially in the winter and early spring.
   Me, that's who.
  For some reason I have no desire to visit our 50th state.
  Why is that? There it nothing wrong with spending a little or a lot of time in a place like Hawaii.
   I remember a Garrison Keillor monologue "News From Lake Wobegone" when he took the show to Hawaii many years ago. He said that he was the first person from Lake Wobegone who had successfully made it to Hawaii. I don't remember his exact words, but he said that Lutherans who lived in the north had certain attitude. They believe that life is hard and is supposed to be hard. I think there may be an attitude that adversity builds character. I think this may be part of my issue. Hawaii is like heaven and heaven is the place you go to once you have met all the challenges in your life.
  Another reason why I don't want to go to Hawaii is vanity. You can't go to a place that has beautiful beaches and warm water without swimming in it. This would require me to do something that I haven't done in a very long time. I would have to wear a swimsuit. In public. I just don't think I could do that. I keep myself in fairly good shape, I work out a few times a week. I do not have the kind of toned body that looks good in a swimsuit. Add to this fact is that I prefer to keep parts of me covered at all time. The swimsuit I have has a top that covers my entire torso and a miniskirt that covers what needs to be covered. It is not the most fashionable. I'm not sure that I could wander around on a beach with tanned women in string bikinis and high cut one pieces and not feel more than a little self conscious.


  I'm looking forward to when Dana comes back. I hope that she has lots of stories about all the fun she had down there. As she is an excellent photographer she may have some stunning pictures. Maybe she'll even bring back some interesting shells that she picked up on the beach. I want to hear all about her trip.
  That's as close as I want to get to being there......