Hawaiian Supermom

Two things I love about hoe wa’a (paddling) is that it’s a family sport, and that it’s at the beach. To me, what better way to spend time with your kids than to take them to do something that everyone enjoys?

So yeah, I wasn’t posting for a couple of days because we were prepping for this weekend, and yes, we were out paddling. I’m sad though because the season is coming to an end, there are only two races left: island championships where we go up against the same awesome clubs we’ve been competing against and state championships where we go against the best of the best on every island that has these races. So: O’ahu, Kaua’i, Maui, and Hawai’i islands.

My crew made it (along with many others) so we get to race states in a few weeks. I’m very happy and humbled that we’ve made it this far. To be honest, I didn’t really enjoy paddling prior to this season, it was something I did because it was good for my health– I was discouraged because I had been told my stroke was wrong, that I wasn’t doing things right, and I felt that I wasn’t good enough. And then we moved and I feel like God placed me in this team of beautiful and strong women so I could learn how to open up to others, to trust, to love, to persevere, to be dedicated to something, to get healthier, to feel secure with myself, to know that I am good enough, and to give and receive whatever I could. I feel like I found my kindred spirits and I am so happy. So blessed. Being a part of them has taught me many valuable lessons and helped me to learn my own strengths as a human. I know it’s not over yet but it does feel bittersweet especially knowing that next year, I’ll be moving up to a different division and a few of them will be lucky enough to stay put.

I know this has nothing to do with writing whatsoever, but I wanted to share something that I found that is so valuable and precious to me and that is the belief that no matter what anyone says, it is possible.

My team went from being the underdogs: 4th & 6th place to clocking fastest times in the State and winning races, and it was all through hard work, willpower, motivation, and determination. In the past few months I’ve grown from a whiner to a winner, I’ve lost weight and made gains not just physically but in my life, I’ve deconstructed my negative attitude and build up a positive one and I’m using everything I’ve learned to push me through my writing. I finished another poetry book recently– I’m looking into submitting it to a press right now. I’m also finishing up another book, which means I get to start cooking my other projects soon.

If I’ve learned anything this summer, it’s not just to write, not just to read, but to get out there– drop right into an uncomfortable situation that forces you push yourself physically and then apply the positive lessons you learn from it to your life. I guess the reason I’m sharing this story is because I feel really lucky and I want everyone in the world to feel as lucky as me.