David’s Journal

Just some more examples…

1. At work, a customer comes in, wearing one of those sleeveless t-shirts.  On it is written in beautiful letters: “Kauai.”  I ask him if he’s been there.  “Of course!” he says, he’s lived on all the islands, but Maui is definitely the best and his favorite, he tells me.

2. Then for my lunch break, I make a quick stop at the grocery store.  As I bag my groceries, I see a tag laying on the end of the counter… advertising Maui Gold, a brand of pineapple grown on the island.

3. Later at work, we get an automated sales call.  Something about a cruise.  Their area code is 808 — Hawaii.

4. Shortly after that, 24hr Fitness (one of the places I applied to in Hawaii) called my cell phone, but didn’t leave a message.

5. And just now, a second time, they called back.  I was home, so I answered it.  I asked about the salary, but received a vague non-answer.  “We’ll discuss that during the interview.”  All I know is their sales counselor position is base plus commission.  Since I’m not living on the island yet, they’re holding my application on file for later when I get there.

That all happened today.  I also sent an e-mail to a new friend on Maui, asking questions about the cost of groceries, traffic, inter-island travel, etc.  He replied back and continues to be very friendly and helpful.

Maui, I’m told, is a great place for creative and spiritual people to thrive.

I honestly don’t see how yet I’m going to make it to Hawaii.  But in living one day at a time, you learn to trust and live in the flow a bit more.

:)

Right now, my plans are shaping up as:

1. Drive to Florida, probably in early to mid September (to get there in time for my birthday), but I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to my roommate yet.  I might be leaving later.

2. Stay with my parents and friends for the next few months, through the holidays.  I’ll have a job to stay on top of car payments and other bills, pay off credit card debt, and hopefully save some for moving to Hawaii.

3. Sell my car around the end of the year, to pay off most if not all of the car loan.  Use income from the job to pay of the remainder of the loan if necessary.  I’m told Hawaii has a great bus system and many people don’t have or use a car.  This will save me: $250/mo on my car loan, $90/mo from insurance, and the savings on gas too.  That’s a $350+ savings every month, by not needing a car.  Plus, I’ll get to meet people on the bus and get better exercise walking around too! :)

4. Based on what my two island friends have told me, my grocery bill will be about the same or less than I’m spending now.  Since I eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables (which is much healthier for you anyway), I can get some great deals from local farmer’s markets and organic growers.

5. The best option for income is to “create my own job,” as my friend on Maui suggested.  In other words, start a business that I can do on the island or from anywhere.  Since this is aligned with my long-term vision anyway, I will be focusing more on this option in the upcoming weeks and months.  It’s time to get serious.  I have lots of ideas.  I just haven’t followed through.  Fear and all that.  lol.

6. Before I leave California, I want to have the last few days or full week off from work, to really enjoy the environment and see all my friends.  I will miss them too.  Honestly, I’m in no rush or need to leave California.  I do like it here, and can make it work and stay here if needed.  But in my heart, I feel guided to spend some time with family and friends I haven’t seen in many years.  After that, I can certainly choose to stay in Florida, or come back to California … but for some reason, both internal and external compasses seem to be pointing to Hawaii.  And hey, life’s an adventure, so why not! :)

hehe.

My first step is to talk with my roommate and work out when my last day will be, and if he needs me to cover all of September’s rent in full, etc.  Once I know that, I can give advance notice at my job.  Then I can schedule my last days off, see my friends here, load up the car, and start driving east.  Due to budget limitations, I’ll be taking the I-10 the whole way.  It’s not the most scenic by any means, but it is the quickest and shortest route.  I wish I had the money to visit friends further north, like one of my best friends in Wyoming, and then head over to see my grandparents in Pennsylvania, a buddy in New Jersey…  But it’s going to be tight as it is.

That’s how things are looking so far.  Just keeping everyone posted, and recording my thoughts and plan-in-progress so one day years from now, I can look back and say, “Oh yeah!  That’s how it all started!” :)

Love always,
David Michaels

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