Pierced~Part 2~Havana

There is no need to tell another story about Havana’s piercing when it was the same experience (just different locations) so this post and Part 2 are identical sans the photos! 

I often tell the girls that when traveling making plans is important and often necessary but that staying present to what arises in the moment is equally, and often more important. 

When we packed up our stuff from our Chelsea location to head towards Jersey, we headed down towards Chinatown to find a cutesy shop that I like to visit. However, the shop had moved and so we found ourselves in new territory. When we reached our destination and parked the car, it turned out we were  in front of a tattoo spot, which was next to where we were headed.  The girls did not immediately notice but I did.

You see, Havana had been asking for her second ear piercings for at least a year. Amara had been asking for a nose ring for longer than that. My answer to both was the same, “No.” For Havana, I wanted her to be a little older as she has just started taking better care of her earrings and things.  Having a second hole is something that needs time, attending and care.  For Amara, I thought she was too young to make a decision like a nose ring. I thought it was yet another fad and would pass. But she has been consistent in her desire for a nose ring for almost two years.  My response to her was consistent; she had to wait until she was eighteen and could do it on her own. 

But…when we parked the car and headed towards our destination,  I stopped and asked the person standing outside the tattoo shop (who was blowing bubbles to attract customers) if they did piercings too. They did. I told the girls let’s go check out our shop and then head into the tattoo shop. They were shocked, “Really?”  “Really.”

Both the girls got their ears pierced when they were 6 years old, each time in New York with their cousins (read here for that experience http://twosmallgems.blogspot.com/2013/07/sparkling-ears.html.  And http://twosmallgems.blogspot.com/2015/08/havana-is-6-which-means-she-could-get.html) and Amara got her second ear piercing in Tahiti.  To have something so big done in such memorable place and with important people, well I thought it might make the experience more meaningful and memorable in the long run. While their cousins were across the river in Jersey and could not come join us, I thought that having this done would be special moment for them. I had also seen Havana demonstrate care and consideration for things and I knew that Amara’s desire for a nose ring was not a passing fad.

In we went, paperwork was filled out and signed, bling was chosen and off to the rear of the shop we went. Both of my not too small gems were with kind, caring and gentle artists who walked them through the process. Within minutes they were done and they were happy.

Pierced~Part 1~ Amara

‘

 

I often tell the girls that when traveling making plans is important and often necessary but that staying present to what arises in the moment is equally, and often more important. 

When we packed up our stuff from our Chelsea location to head towards Jersey, we headed down towards Chinatown to find a cutesy shop that I like to visit. However, the shop had moved and so we found ourselves in new territory. When we reached our destination and parked the car, it turned out we were  in front of a tattoo spot, which was next to where we were headed.  The girls did not immediately notice but I did.

You see, Havana had been asking for her second ear piercings for at least a year. Amara had been asking for a nose ring for longer than that. My answer to both was the same, “No.” For Havana, I wanted her to be a little older as she has just started taking better care of her earrings and things.  Having a second hole is something that needs time, attending and care.  For Amara, I thought she was too young to make a decision like a nose ring. I thought it was yet another fad and would pass. But she has been consistent in her desire for a nose ring for almost two years.  My response to her was consistent; she had to wait until she was eighteen and could do it on her own. 

But…when we parked the car and headed towards our destination,  I stopped and asked the person standing outside the tattoo shop (who was blowing bubbles to attract customers) if they did piercings too. They did. I told the girls let’s go check out our shop and then head into the tattoo shop. They were shocked, “Really?”  “Really.”

Both the girls got their ears pierced when they were 6 years old, each time in New York with their cousins (read here for that experience http://twosmallgems.blogspot.com/2013/07/sparkling-ears.html.  And http://twosmallgems.blogspot.com/2015/08/havana-is-6-which-means-she-could-get.html) and Amara got her second ear piercing in Tahiti.  To have something so big done in such memorable place and with important people, well I thought it might make the experience more meaningful and memorable in the long run. While their cousins were across the river in Jersey and could not come join us, I thought that having this done would be special moment for them. I had also seen Havana demonstrate care and consideration for things and I knew that Amara’s desire for a nose ring was not a passing fad.

In we went, paperwork was filled out and signed, bling was chosen and off to the rear of the shop we went. Both of my not too small gems were with kind, caring and gentle artists who walked them through the process. Within minutes they were done and they were happy.

http://twosmallgems.blogspot.com/2015/08/havana-is-6-which-means-she-could-get.html

 

New York

Not even a week after I returned from Maui and not even 24 hours after Amara returned back from 3 weeks at Sugar Pine, the girls and I took our packed bags and headed off to SFO. We were on our way for a girls adventure to New York. 

Amara had been with me in New York a year ago but the last time Havana was there was when she was 6 years old. It was a long time ago and because she was so young  she only has vague memories. Havana had been asking to go  back to New York for some time but due to resources, time schedules and readiness, it was not in the cards for a trip to the East Coast until earlier this month.

We would  be in New York a total of 9 days, which included time upstate. There is always so much we want to do and so many folx to see, so planning wisely, organizing our days and laying things out was a necessity.

 For our time in the City, the plan was to enjoy the city and to spend time with friends and family. Our first stop would be the Chelsea area of Manhattan where we would spend 3 nights. The small inn was the ideal location. During our time there we visited with our friends/family Mark and his family and Eric. We went to church together and thenEric took the girls (and myself), to the Strand before heading onto the Subway, where we met Mark and family for birthday lunch for his daughter.  We needed Eric to help us navigate the underground so he was our guide to midtown.

The girls wanted to ride the Subway and in all honesty, I did not ride the Subway much while living in New York. When we were in Brooklyn (until I was 7) , we had a car. Once we moved to Rockland, well it was the suburbs and a car was the way to get around. So Eric took us underground, to the stemming hot bowels of NYC to hop on the Q. The entire time I kept ‘seeing’ Havana in future years, riding the subway of NYC, perhaps as resident. 

We had a fun time with our friends, having shared stories and jokes, before we headed back to rest before a night at the theatre. We ventured towards Time Square, were stopped to show Havana my dad’s office on 39th & Broadway. I took Amara there last summer and now I wanted Havana to see the place that was such an important piece of my childhood. My dad worked in that building for twenty years. His work provided him the life he dreamed of as a poor child in East New York and allowed us to have a better life. He worked for Boussac, a French textile firm and the stories from his bi-annual trips to Paris and Germany for Fashion Week, his exiled South African boss (due to being anti-apartheid), seeing the first humongous fax machine sending documents across the Atlantic and seedy Times Square (before it became Disneyfied), are all etched into my being. I can’t look a movie or television show of Times Square without thinking of my dad and I walking the crowded, bustling streets towards his office. Those were some of the good childhood memories and I wanted Havana so see the place I had spoke about countless time. I cried in the lobby of the building and I could tell by their faces, that the girls knew how much that place meant to my heart. 

We had a great night at the theatre, after a slight challenge with the scamers in the area. I had go in my “New York” mode, which the girls have seen in California and on the streets on NYC, where it was a necessary defense they saw why I have the need to “go New York at times.” They see and hear my aggressiveness at times, when sometimes I will say, “ Don’t make me go to New York on you “, to people when I’m feeling stressed. But to see me in action in my childhood home, to see where I pull that energy from and how it protected us, well I hope that they learn a little bit more about their mother and why she does what she does at times.

For the rest of our time in the city, we went to Chinatown, had the best vegetarian Chinese dinner. We also went to our favorite foot massage place there. We discovered this place when the girls  first went to New York. I’ve been going back ever since and they hear me sing its praises each time I return back home. It was special to do this together, especially after walking the pavement for hours.

 We also did some shopping and exploring and taking in the city. The girls thought it was so cool to see the Empire State building at night time, all lit up just while we were walking.  They saw a Marvel movie being filmed just down the block where we were staying and they were curious about all the different types of people and the fast and addictive energy that it New York. It was a really lovely few days in the City.

After we were done in New York, we crossed through the Holland tunnel to New Jersey, where our cousins live. At that point, there was the tail end of a hurricane approaching, and we spent time with our cousins Alaine and Liz staying dry in this ginormous mall shopping for sneakers, having good food and laughter.  We then also headed back into the city one afternoon. The girls found some great stuff thrifting and we got to Washington Square Park. 

Once we were done in New York, we headed up toward Rockland county where I grew up from age 7 until age 18. I showed the girls my childhood home, my elementary school, junior high and high schools. I told him stories about what it was like back then. I also stopped at Rockland bakery, when we picked up some freshly baked yummy bread and pastries. In years past, when I’ve driven through New City, I felt lonely and sad because of the childhood that I had being so different and so out of aline with the culture that was around me. I felt some of that with the girl with me but I also felt a little bit more peaceful knowing that I had my created own family. Reflecting on the life that I built once I left that area brought me a sense of peace, gratitude and an awareness of how hard I worked to manifest the life I have were.

When we were in Rockland County, I made sure to bring the girls to Monsey to hang out and do some shopping. Amara informed Havana to be careful of how she dressed while we stepped into Hasidic territory. They had lots of questions about this religious sect, which I answered and at the end one of the girls said, “It sounds like a cult.”  To which I replied, “You’re absolutely spot on. “ I then explain them why these orthodox Jews are so religious and how it stems from what happened in the holocaust. I also drove by my old synagogue and Hebrew school and explained  our families more relaxed religious traditions. When the girls noticed how close the synagogue was to our house, I explained that was because on the high holy days you could drive or use any electricity and that we had to walk. Same for the Sabbath. That was a bit supersizing to them!

When we were done with our time in  Rockland County, we headed up the Thruway to Ulster county. We headed toward my spiritual mother Bella‘s house. One there, we settled in and the girls immediately noticed the peaceful, calm energy of the house and the land. Even though the house is in need of some TLC, the energy and the vibration is so strong that one cannot help but to feel a deep sense of peace and relaxation and overall goodness in the house. The breathtaking landscape views are like no other. It is absolutely one on my favorite places on planet earth and I was filled with gratitude that I was able to bring the girls to this most special and sacred place.

We were still in the tail end of the hurricane so we had some intense rain and  warm, strong winds during our days on the mountain And it was just lovely! I love hurricane weather and had not experienced it since I was a child. It was like a warm welcome embrace. We got to visit with my best friend Bob and some other close friends, who live in the area. We walked in the town Woodstock when there were breaks in the rain and then when it was the rain came down in buckets, we stayed back at the house, reading and relaxing. Both girls read books and I sat at my favorite spot, doing some work, writing and just taking it easy. It was just with the doctor ordered. 

It was important and meaningful being in the presence of Bella, as she is getting older and I know that she will not be here forever. I was glad that the girls are now old enough to be with her and learn from her and experience her in ways that they would remember. There were many seeds planted around the kitchen table. Where we sat and shared stories and life lessons. Havana opted mostly to read in the room, but Amara sat with the adults, who gave her some good guidance and wisdom on being a young adult and about going forward in life, looking for college and living her life as an adult. 

These were the exact reasons I came to New York. I wanted both of my two small gems to experience the connection with people that had meaning to me, people who then make connections with them. I wanted them to see the places that I love and be around the people that I love. it was just perfect and I was so grateful to Creator that it all worked out exactly as it did.

It was bittersweet when we had to pack up the car and head back towards the city for our evening flight. I was thankful that we would have at least a few more hours to stop in the city and pick up some food and take in some last-minute New York energy vibe. 

I have to say that this was one of the best trips I have taken with the girls in a very long time. We all got along well (for the most part!), we all had great experiences and we all connected deeply with the people in places around us. I left feeling deeply grateful for the roots I have long planted in New York, as well as the roots I have planted in California. And for the branches that reach across to each other.  

 

Honu Medicine

 

I am not sure what it is about the honu that makes my soul child very happy but I want to do a happy dance each time I see them. Yes, I love wildlife in general, but honu are up there with cheetahs and sloth.  When in Hawai’i, I project my delight about them onto others, telling friends or family where to see them (but not get to close and never touch), encouraging them to see for themselves the magic that is the honu.

I love them so much I got my first tattoo of a honu while in Moorea. They are sweet, ancient, powerful, beautiful and strong. And so cute!

During our time on Maui in July, we were blessed to see many honu. I had a couple of close calls in the ocean while snorkeling when some almost swam into me. We saw the honu colony on the north shore including a young one. And when Don, Havana and Tamsin headed home several days before me, I found a place near our condo in Kihei where I got to see them every sunset, as they came to eat things off the lava rocks and rest upon the shores. Oh, honu, I loved seeing you!

I am deeply grateful that my two smalls gems have been fortunate to grow seeing honu and other incredible wildlife. This has brought them compassion, a sense of protection and respect for those who do just walk on two legs.

As for the honu, I look forward to the next time we get to see them again.

The Road to Hana

 

After the summit was over, we packed up early the next morning and made a caravan with our friends toward Hana. Havana and I had done the journey along the famous drive two years ago with the help of the Shaka app. Since we  had such an incredible and memorable adventure with with our virtual guide the last time, we decided to use the app this time around as well.

The road to Hana if driven straight, is just about two hours. But with all the stops along the way for short hikes, swims under waterfalls and in swimming holes, a  search for banana bread (they were sold out) and a coconut ice cream snack stop and photo ops, the expedition ended up taking us close to six hours.

Those six hours passed seamlessly while they filled our senses. The endless lush green landscape and thick rainforest that hugged every one of the six hundred curves, the turquoise ocean that took our breath away, the high, steep cliffs, the big raindrops and bright, colorful flowers, all of these were healing and soothing. The road to Hana is a magical road, where time seems to have stood still. There is no cell phone service. It feels timeless and peaceful and a bit other worldly.

Since the drive takes so long, we spent the night at Hana Inn, so we could rest and recoup in the tiny town on the tip of east Maui. The quaint inn sits not too far from the beach, where sunsets and sunrises take your breath away. I could not not be humbled and in awe of the work of Creation that lay in the sea, earth and air all around me. 

The road to Hana is a journey that I was grateful to share with our family and friends. The road has a way to nestling into one’s being and leaving a piece of it’s peace with you, long after you have left the pavement.