Everyone keeps telling me that eventually Hawaii will become like "home." It seems like everyone wants to become a creature of their environments. That's not really my forte. It was when I first came here. I always considered myself to be someone who was more apt to relating to people from the mainland, but there's several people here from the mainland. So it really has nothing to do with the culture. It has everything to do with perspective.
Since I've been here, I've had a new experience every day. Some of them have been great experiences, others have been not so great. But even the bad experiences have led to some beautiful growth in me. I went through a lot when I first got here, but I'm still alive. I'm still thriving. I'm still persevering. I have worked every single month I've been here. I got a job three weeks after I got here, and I was promoted within a month at my current job. I'm proud of myself. I'm proud that I didn't forfeit this challenge and just move back right away. I have made the best friendships I could ever acquire, here in Hawaii. It's such a melting pot here that you're forced to see beyond the surface, and what I've seen is I'm surrounded by beauty, both in nature and in those I come into contact with.
This 17-year-old girl gave a talk in church last Sunday. I have never been moved so much by a teenager. So I talked to her for an hour after service. After we talked, her dad offered to give me a ride but I wanted to walk. They drove past me, she stuck her head out the window, waved and smiled and said, "bye Tiare." That image will be embedded in my mind forever of how precious life has become here. I feel blessed, I feel stronger, I feel humbled and I feel everything will be okay. I'm finally coming to terms who I am, and I'm grateful for that. Life... is good. :)
