Boxes ( Pahu )

Boxes, boxes, boxes….Eight total…so far!! Several people have asked me about what is IN these boxes that I continue to pack and mail to Hilo. Excellent question!! Let me think….well, of course, they are filled with ‘essentials’, things that I NEED when I get there.

Yes, but what do you NEED that fills 8 pahu (boxes)??

OK, I’ll admit that I can’t remember most of what I have packed in these pahu over the last three weeks. But I want to state that while many of the items could be debated as to their essentialness, they all bring along with me something that will link me to my family, my teaching profession, my home in Austin, or my life before Hilo.

What constitutes ‘essential’…..?? For a start, mugs! Mugs that have designs for UT, TCU, the Athens Olympics, ACC, Texas Bluebonnets, and the Westie mug that has a cute Tain-like pup on it. My daughters have never understood my continued purchasing of mugs that catch my eye or represent a place I’ve been. But I love seeing them, using them, sharing coffee in them with friends, and most of all I love remembering the places, people and experiences I connect with each one. These links are permanent contributions to who I am today. 

What else? Well, there are two sets of coasters, a set of matched card decks, and a set of dominos. Games are one social event that I love and around which I have many, many fond memories. Friends gather and the cards or dominos are brought out. Trash talk abounds….it’s actually a requirement. Score is kept, threats are made, praise is lavished, laughter ensues, breaks are taken for coffee or drinks. Here is where the coasters come in. I was raised in a home with mahogany furniture everywhere. No drink was ever allowed to be set down without a coaster. Even today, I have trouble putting a glass down on laminate or stone or aluminum surfaces without a coaster. So, when drinks are part of the fun and hospitality, the coasters are just naturally something I bring out. I may forget to give out napkins, but I guarantee the coasters will be there. 

Pahu therefore send Texas and Austin and San Antonio and college and friends & family ahead to be there as greeters from my past when my new future begins on August 7, 2010. Of course, I only packed the ‘essential’ memories and helpful items…..I wouldn’t take anything unnecessary, would I?

Aloha,
     Janene