Hawaiian Pair-O-Dice

"Suddenly living in paradise is not the same. Maybe never be the same again. That fire burst a dream. People (including myself), would often say what they want to do when retired - "Live in Maui!" - even though many (like myself), had never been there. Now it is very different." 

I know that many reading this have been in Maui. Some more than once. I was a latecomer. I did not visit Maui (although the tour had us there for only a day), until last year. Was it everything I thought it would be? Not really, but it was nice. I was surprised by the pockets of poverty we saw on this island paradise. In fact, if you had money, Maui was indeed a paradise. However, if you did not have money and decided to dwell there it really is like throwing the dice. Like a Hawaiian Pair-O-Dice.

What happened this week was unconscionable. Un-forecasted. And most of all, unbelievable. When we were there last year, we saw many tents and some RVs set up right on the beach. When I asked the tour driver if that was some kind of state park, he told me no. That is where people who have no home have decided to live. And in Hawaii, the beaches belong to everybody, so making a home there was simply fine. I can only imagine the horror as the flames started to broach the highway toward the beach.

When our cruise ship was pulling into the islands, we could see the flume of the volcano. This was important, as this was the first time Hawaii had an eruption this large for quite a while. We were hoping to get on a tour that could take us close to seeing this rare occurrence. No such luck. The island authorities were worried about tourists or civilians getting too close to the lava and getting burned. That is the kind of natural disaster that most worried about. A huge out-of-control fire that hit Maui. Most would hardly give it a thought. But it did happen.

Scores were killed. Caught in an unwinnable situation. Or the devil and the deep blue sea. People were forced to either get burned to death or jump into a very choppy ocean. Still, scores died. The death count is now over eighty and might go higher. And the damage? The loss of historic heirlooms? Devastating.

Suddenly living in paradise is not the same. Maybe never be the same again. That fire burst a dream. People (including myself), would often say what they want to do when retired - "Live in Maui!" - even though many (like myself), had never been there. Now it is very different. 

Is this the end of paradise? I hope not. But this fire has been a game changer. I don't think we will ever visit Hawaii again. That being said, I still want Maui to be restored. Why? On this side of Heaven, we all need paradise.