Trackballs in Paradise

It's been a while since I posted because Dr. Trackball and I went on vacation to Maui (with no computer). Minnie and Micro Trackball went to hang out with their Grandma and Grandpa Mouse up in My Shire.

This trip was a big deal because it was a 10th wedding anniversary thing, a much belated honeymoon thing, and a kidfree thing. Such a big deal that now the after-trip portion of our lives feels a bit unexpected, like we didn't really think we'd make it to the trip, so why bother thinking of what comes after? But the biggest, most omnipresent aspect of the trip (other than being just with one another) was being in Hawaii's tropical climate.

The Trackballs have been finding themselves becoming more sensitive to weather over time. Partly it's because moving to an area (Maryland) with four seasons annually makes one appreciate the advantages of warmer weather. Also, we've become more adverse to cold weather and more tolerant of hot weather. This is most likely because we weigh less, eat better and spend more time outdoors than we did when hunkered down in the Northeast. In Maryland, we live in AC all summer, at home and at work.

Imagine how weird it was that the airport in Kahului, Maui had no windows or AC. And how right. The condo we rented on Napili Bay had no windows, just wood shutters and screens. To those from lands that suffer from the scourge of fall, winter and spring, this looks ludicrous. Even if the temp is between the 70s and 80s ALL YEAR ROUND it's hard to get one's snow-navigating mind around never needing thick glass windows. Even when you're inside a building on Maui, you feel like you're outside on a lanai: it's mostly open (no) windows and ceiling fans. It's all very relaxing.

The Trackballs have been dreaming of living in places where you're not cold outside, and Hawaii fits the bill very well. Minimal clothing is perfectly comfortable - it's a climate designed for the human body. You can go exercise or just be outside all year round. It does get hot in the afternoon and the sun is relentless, but there is shade and a nice breeze blowing most of the time (at least while we were there). In a small sense, that climate is our natural environment, and now we're back in the zoo in our gilded cages, living large but noticing the temps are starting to drop a little each day already.

Everyone says that once you go to Hawaii that you'll want to move there. Despite the perfect climate, I didn't feel that way. Maybe I'm still too East Coast. But Dr. Trackball is mentally still somewhere on Napili Bay beach. I think it's her new happy place. So here's the plan - all you cold weather neo-polar bears who are stuck in paradise - go take your money and your sweaters and move up north. That will make all the perfect weather paradises cheaper for us humans to live in.