Maui at Seventy Three

Since my wife Muri and I moved to California in 1971, we have vacationed in Maui 7 times.  The first time we were here with our good friends, Don and Jackie, we spent half the time on Oahu and half the time at Napili Bay (perhaps the prettiest bay on Maui).   The second time, we brought our two children and spent time on both Maui and Kauai.   While Kauai is beautiful and less 

developed, Maui ofers a mix of beauty, nice hotels and restaurants we like when we vacation.  Since then, whenever we’ve returned to the Hawaiian Islands, we’ve stayed on Maui, twice with my daughter and a friend along, once for an anniversary, and again for my wife’s 65th birthday.   And here we are again, on Kaanapali Beach for my seventy-third birthday.   We’ve stayed in several hotles but we’ve come to enjoy oceanfront condos that offer a little more quiet and home-like amenities.   This trip we are staying at The Whaler on Kaanapali Beach.   I love Maui … it is my favorite vacation spot.

At seventy-three, one of the things I like about vacationing here is that we’ve done all the must-do sightseeing, so that we can just relax and enjoy the beauty of the place.  We still take day trips but they are to out of the way places off the primary tourist beat. Yesterday we went to the Maui high country on the slopes of Haleakala.  We had lunch in the charming town of Macaweo and visited the gallery of watercolor artist Shari Reeves, who also makes women’s clothing featuring her designs.  Muri bought a shirt and we may buy a print of one of her watercolors, Orient Express.

After leaving Macaweo, we stopped at the Kula Botanical Gardens a little higher up.   The gardens were small and in need of care but there were a few interesting subjects for photographs. 

We’ve spent a lot of time reading on the patio.  The rush of the waves and the chatter of the birds is a nice background for reading and how nice it is to be able to look up at the turquoise blue of the Pacific and the beautiful grounds of The Whaler.   We’ve walked a bit and talked a lot.   The only thing I’ve had to do is watch … and photograph … the Maui sunsets a truly spiritual experience.   We’ve eaten in lovely but expensive restaurants that we are fortunate to be able to afford.  We don’t take that for granted. Tonight we are having dinner for my birthday in Leilani’s on the Beach, our favorite.

I am no longer inclined to incorporate adventures into my vacations, no power boat trips to the far side of the island or snorkelling trips to Molokini.   Those things were fun in the past but uneccessary at this point in my life.  I haven’t rented snorkelling  equipment and I’ve only been in the water once, this morning.   At this particular point in my life I need relaxation, time to read and write, and time alone with Muri more than anything else.  At forty-five, I’d have said to myself, We’re here in Maui.  I need to be doing something I can’t do at home.   At seventy-three, I can give myself the gift of relaxation in a beautiful place.  That is one of the advantages of getting old.

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Tags: family, feeling older, love and marriage, mindfulness, nature, vacations

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