I am usually at our community pool around 7am as I prefer to swim & tread in my own little wet world. I have great water-resistant Bluetooth earbuds and I enjoy ‘flipping my fins’ to a variety of playlists.
A few weeks back an early work meeting caused me to take a 9:30 am break to get my 30 min. swim on. Each time I turned to swim toward the shallow end I watched the waves of sunlight under the surface and felt a joyful feeling, which seemed so familiar. It stayed with me. Whenever I enter any body of water I always think of Rick and our snorkeling adventures, but this sense was more personal…more… exclusive? Like an intimate secret?
By the time I walked the one block from the pool to my house it felt like more than just a remembrance of Rick and our 16+ weeks of snorkeling in warm Pacific or Caribbean waters. And then it dawned on me. This was a precious, treasured recall of a special time shared by just two souls. It was a recall of a sweet, serendipitous late morning snorkel on the island of Kauai.
Rick was always looking for new places to snorkel, especially on Kauai. We learned one of the luxury resorts allowed day parking and access to their beach and it also had decent snorkeling. We arrived around 10am and were amazed and stopped in our tracks at the water’s edge. The water was clear and calm, due to the resort being at the end of a cove as well as a fair stretch of shallows amidst rounded lava rocks. The tilt of the morning sun made crisp prismatic ribbons of sunlight dance on the rounded lava rocks and thin layer of sand below the surface. The visibility was so good I could stand and see the fish swimming around my feet.
But what added to this incredible site was the backdrop. The lush green mountain ridge between Hanalei and the Na Pali coast was the backdrop, including the iconic ‘Bali Hai’ peak. And though the sky was mostly clear there were occasional bright white clouds drifting by.
The entire setting was so breath-taking I spent the first 15 minutes just taking photos. Then I carefully walked to where Rick was alternating between exploring underwater and standing in the waist-high water to admire the mountains. This gave me a great opportunity to snap a photo of him admiring ‘Bali Hai’ without him knowing I was behind him. It was such a peaceful “is this real or are we dreaming this?” moment. The perfect tropical temperature, the blue sky with white clouds like sails on a slight breeze, the lush green hills and the crisp dancing prismatic ribbons of sunlight on the shallow water. We were both soaking in this idyllic moment in paradise.
Just after I snapped the photo of Rick, he turned to see me 15 ft. behind him. It still felt like a dream, as if he was turning in slow motion. He smiled a warm lazy smile as I walked toward him. It may sound hopelessly romantic but there was a familiarity of the ending of the movie Titanic, where the scene changes from the underwater view of the grand staircase to Jack with his back to the Rose at the staircase clock, turning back to see her and a smile spreads across his face.
There are so many details of that midmorning on the beach on the north side of Kauai. And now I am glad for mornings when I can swim in a pool an ocean away, the tilt of the sun making crisp prism ribbons below the water. For a split second I wouldn’t be surprised and totally ecstatic to find Rick right in front of me, turning to smile a lazy, blissful smile. And I truly believe one day, it will happen.
Treasure Every Day 