June 12, 2025
Article highlights:
- An unexpected road trip!
- Olga Island
A road trip happened suddenly and I find myself in the San Juan Islands between Seattle, WA and Vancouver, Canada. I’d had the invite for some months, which included spending a week with a grandson and my oldest son before they left to drive the Alaska-Canadian Highway and I left to spend time with friends on Orcas Island. It then included seeing my younger son and other family at the graduation of his step daughter from college in Washington State several weeks later.
What fun! But I didn’t have funds for the trip and since I have a hard and fast rule about not putting things on my credit card that I can’t pay off right away, I waited to see what developed.
I kept getting a clear nudge to go, so I felt hopeful and expectant that things might change. At the very last minute they did! You’ll remember my friend Kahuna Kalei who died in 2020? Many of you knew her, too. She made this trip possible all these years later, and so unexpectedly.
Ten days ago I received an email from an airline I haven’t heard from in years — maybe their emails have been going to my spam folder? This one was in my inbox and its subject seemed to indicate I had a LOT of air miles, which I didn’t, as far as I knew.
I called the airline and learned those miles had been transferred to me from Kalei in early 2020 sometime before she died and after I left her and Hawaii. I have no memory of this transfer nor any conversation with her about it.
It was enough miles for this trip. So I packed up and arranged for a month or two away and was quickly off, just in time to rendezvous with my son in the Seattle area. After a week with family that included me going through an old storage and donating most of it, I now feel nourished in the way only family can offer and I feel so much lighter in the way that only divesting stuff can bring. It was a terrific week.
Now, I’m writing to you in the beauty of a cool, misty island morning, listening to birdsong and the ferry’s horn sounding in the fog across the bay. Shortly I’ll be picked up by one of you, dear readers. Mary has been reading my weekly for some years now and we’ve become frequent pen pals. She’s a delightful thinker and correspondent. We’ll get to meet in person, have a cup of tea, get some groceries for me and maybe explore the island a little if the weather holds. What a fun afternoon, right?
The photo today is from the ferry ride to the island. The quality of air, water and nature is so high in these islands; it’s a very special area. I lived for 15 years on a neighboring island near here, many years ago now. It’s one of the islands you see across the way, in the photo.
It feels great to be back. This part of the world is exceptionally beautiful, nurturing and healing. I’m looking forward to a wonderful stay.
More soon about this road trip, I’m sure, and much love until then,
X 💜 Mayet
