After debating for weeks whether or not I would bring back my weekly updates…I decided why not? When I first moved to Maui, I felt I didn’t have anything to write about, I had no big updates or things to share that felt exciting enough for the world to see. This is all true, as the last few months have been adjusting to life on a small island, buying a car, finding a job, all the mundane adult things no one ever wants to hear about. I guess I still don’t even have any big updates to share.
I keep circling back to the phrase, “Why not?”. Those two words have dictated my reasoning for almost every decision I’ve ever made.
Before I moved to Maui, I had a conversation with a man who told me I reminded him of an old friend, “you both have such playful spirits,” he said. He asked me the infamous question, “Why Maui?” I shrugged and said, “Why not?” My response has always been the same, I have no reason, which gives me all the more reason to go. When I moved to Europe, I had no idea I would stay for so long. I had no idea what I was doing when I left and moved back to Oklahoma. And so, the same goes, why did I move to Maui? I have a feeling I’ll be searching for that answer for quite some time.
When I answered the man’s question, he laughed and patted me on the back like a proud father does,
“I love it,” he said.
“Why not?” he repeated out loud.
Who knew two words could have such an impact?
I always have people tell me, “You’re so brave. I could never do what you’re doing.”
They assume because I say, “Why not?” that I’m not scared or fearful of what’s awaiting me. That I don’t cry on the long, lonely nights when I wish nothing more than to call my friends and run to their side. That I don’t miss having the comfort of my home near me when I’m sick and tired. That I don’t have bad days where I’m filled with anxiety and never want to leave my room. Living in paradise doesn’t mean it’s always sunny.
There are some days I question why I moved, why I can’t stay in one place, why I must do and see as much as I can, yet I always circle back to, “Why not?”
One of my favorite movies is “We Bought a Zoo,” when asked why did you buy a zoo…I’m sure you can guess what he said.
So, to answer the most asked question, why did you move to Maui?
As Benjamin Mee once said, “Why Not?”
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