Doldrums

When there is no wind at all to power your sails, you enter the doldrums, a state of inactivity, stagnation, depression, or “emotional period of apathy.”

All of us have experienced those times of life when the wind goes out of our sails completely. Nothing we do seems to get us going again, and sometimes we don’t even want to get going! And what do we do?

We get angry, we look for reasons why the wind isn’t blowing, we blame God for no wind, we blame someone else for the lack of wind, or we blame ourselves when we can’t get moving again.

I have used words. like turbulent or tempestuous to describe my life at times, and at almost ninety years of age, I find myself missing those days when I was blustery or wild, carefree, and restless. Most of my life has been about “making waves.”

Now I suspect I’m in the doldrums – too settled, too orderly, and too relaxed. My seas are too calm, and I haven’t quite figured out how to navigate these still waters. Others seemed to look forward to retirement, but I didn’t.

I love the gusty winds that keep you on edge, yet I also anticipate those relaxed moments when I can regenerate and prepare for the next storm to blow through. Like the doldrums, big storms don’t last forever.

(excerpt from upcoming memoir)

A hui hou,

Lucy

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  1. Hi Lucy
    We are back in St Pete since June 2 after 1 1/2 years living in Maryland and soon moving again to a smaller villa at Westminster Suncoast where Hilton is living! We continue us to be in a state of perpetual motion so would welcome a little doldrums! Flying to Asheville NC to visit good friends in western Carolina for a week before Oct 7 move date!
    Life is a whirlwind for us!
    and I dream of sitting next to the lovely pool here, with a cool drink and good book to read sometime this year!
    When will you come to visit your brother and see us?
    Enjoyed your blog!
    Love and blessings
    Claire

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Needing a Safe Harbor

Green ocean water swept over the bow and drenched my two teen sons as they struggled to bring our jib back on board. All I could do was pray, “Dear God, please let them come up again!” The typical California winter storm had forced us to use the motor sail rather than try to use sail only in such messy weather. We had lashed the jib down with bungee cords, but soon the jib escaped from the bungees, started flying around, and finally slid over the edge into the ocean, dragging the boat across the swells.

The boys crawled their way along the deck to get to the bow, grabbing onto the slippery stanchions as they went. I watched their progress as the wild, cold ocean tried to slacken their grip. All I could do was fight to hold onto an equally slippery wheel, and struggle to remain upright while I tried to keep us on a steady course. In their determination to save the sail, did they ever realize how much danger they were in? In later years, we survived other storms at sea, but our shakedown cruise gave us our first experience in attempting to sail a West Coast winter storm.

These two paragraphs open my upcoming book, Risky: One Woman’s Journey to Independence on a 37’ Sailboat. You will see what it’s like to live aboard a sailboat full-time, learn the kind of food we ate on board, experience sailing trips we took up and down the coast plus trips to Catalina Island, laugh at some of the funny events, and ultimately learn how I was able to achieve self-reliance and independence as a newly single woman.

I didn’t know how to swim, I didn’t know how to sail, and I was afraid of water – and yet tackling this totally new and unique experience helped me make it through one of the roughest times of my life. Watch for the launching of this memoir.

A hui hou!

LUCY

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Molasses Cookies

There’s not much that’s better in the afternoon (or middle of the night!) than a cold glass of milk with a homemade cookie. One of my favorites is a soft molasses cookie. Please don’t count the calories on this one. It’s bound to be healthy with all that molasses. There isn’t much more I can add to that, so here’s the recipe.

Molasses Cookies

Sift together: 3 cups flour (I use half whole wheat and half unbleached)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch salt

Cream ½ cup shortening with ½ cup sugar until light.

Add 1 well-beaten egg, then 1 cup molasses, and beat thoroughly.

Add sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with 1 tablespoon vinegar and ½ cup boiling water.

Mix well and drop the soft dough by spoonfuls 2 inches apart on a well-greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until firm to the touch, at 375 F.

If you can wait, it’s probably better to let them cool down a bit before you dig into them.

A hui hou!

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Going Back!

In late May 2008 https://lavalily.com/2008/05/28/in-beginning/, I began writing about an acre of lava I had bought on the southern end of Hawaii Island. Over the years after that, I wrote about the joys, the hardships, and the unique experience of living and thriving on lava. This photo shows a lonely lehua blossom on a fallen ohia tree. I’ll tell you more about that in another post.

Later I decided to branch out and share some of my travels, several philosophical thoughts, a few recipes gathered over the years, and whatever else I could think that might interest my readers. I’d post every day or week for a while, and sometimes only once a week, but I had fun with it.

Then, about three years ago, I retired as an Associate Professor in the Social Sciences Department at Hawaii Community College, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around being retired. I started creating and teaching online courses and thought perhaps my readers would be interested.

When I finally came to my senses, I realized that all I really wanted to do was write, and that was all I had wanted to do for decades. Now I’m back to writing my blog posts for personal enjoyment – and no more online courses, or anything else that might distract me from writing. Occasionally, I might tell you about any books I’m writing, and tell you where to buy them. Otherwise, it will be only stuff I think you might like to know about living in Hawaii.

Now I’m back to being exclusively a writer– and I hope you’ll be pleased. I’m not sure how often I’ll be here, but my goal is to write at least once a week. I’ve lived here almost thirty years as both a pastor and a teacher, and I have a lot to tell. Share my blog with others who also might enjoy reading about life in Hawaii.

A hui hou!

Lucy

2 thoughts on “Going Back!”

  1. Great to see this. (I’ve been lazy lately about going through the tons of emails that come my way; finally today started exploring and found your post! I’ll call you soon; I keep missing the time windows that will work for us.
    Bill

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  2. We have been friends for many years now and I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed following you and your incredibly eclectic interests and hopefully you have enjoyed following mine also.

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New Music From Hilton

What the Wind Whispers

I have shared some of my brother’s music from time to time. He is talented and prolific, and his repertoire is varied. I encourage you to check out his website for other listening pleasures.

Click on “What the Wind Whispers” above to see and hear his video.

A hui hou!

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