DO NOT EAT THE LOTUS BLOSSOMS!!

ahhhh.... Finally! I have been threatening and/or promising this blog for months - literally. It was supposed to be a continuation of our adventures in Maui without the clogging effects of e-mail, even though I am finally writing it - in San Diego. Not that we've moved back. It's just all that first of the new year stuff (I refuse to use the "r" word). I know I need to be obedient. God has given me the gift of words and adventures to write about using those same words. Part of my delay has been just sheer intimidation by yet another techie advance. Okay. I know. Blogs have been around for years, but forgive a grammy in her fifties if she's just a little slow. The other reason has more to do with the lifestyle we have chosen and the place we chose to have said lifestyle: the easy-paced Maui.

If you know some of mythology and Greek literature, you'll remember that their were some sailors that set sail for something a little longer than a three hour tour, and landed on an island that didn't have seven castaways, but some lovelies who were offering lotus blossoms for snacking. Not only were these luscious flowers tasty, and being offered by equally...luscious females, but they had a the side affect of making the consumer completely chilled and relaxed. Completely and utterly, no matter what the guy should have been doing. Captain Odysseus was very unhappy with his happy-but-do-nothing crew. Lotus Blossoms. Maui can be one giant Lotus Blossom...and I ate....

...but just a few.

I realized a few weeks back that I had our house all put together and my time could now be focussed on writing, painting, and my business. Could be. I use the excuse that I had lost all my momentum, but the truth is, I just was getting into the ease of island life. It IS all it's cracked up to be.

Don has been working the Real Estate biz, but it is still slow. But of course, he has only been at it for three months, and in that time he has made some solid contacts. We both feel very positive about how the business will be when we return in a couple of weeks. Don's broker's wife has this little ritual she dubs "The Snow Dance", which she encourages all the Keller Williams realtors to do. This dance will bring crazy snows to places beyond, thus inspiring people to finally spring for that long desired Maui Vacation Condo. The season is picking up over there right now, and thanks to global warming, a big part of the country is buried under snow and dealing with -628 degree temps. We should be seeing those real estate shoppers any minute now...

My business has definitely hit a standstill - not just because of my own inertia, but because it's just a hard biz to crack into. Autumn and I are hoping to be destination wedding business, but we have to figure out how to market in San Diego. Pretty hard to sell a Maui destination wedding if you are only selling it to Maui brides. My other pursuits have fallen by the wayside strictly because of my kicking them there. I haven't shared this with many, but I'm actually writing a book. I'm about two-thirds of the way through, but no matter how much I think about it and beg for the little book-writing elves to show up, nothing gets written unless I sit down and write it. Sheesh. Who knew? The third creative endeavor has been my painting. I've had a great canvas just waiting for me, but I haven't even unwrapped it yet. It's a new year, now. I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions - resolve seems to dwindle before we've even made the Super Bowl - but I do believe that God gives us this time to mark the opportunity for change. Let's see how we do...