It Should Really Be Illegal to be This Happy

The Kona coastline is less than a mile away by crow measurement. I wake to the sound of waves, Hawaiian doves and the ever-present Myna birds – Hawaii’s version of the Starling. A six hour time difference and as yet to be altered circadian rhythm had me up with the stars on the first few mornings. Would you like Milky Way with your coffee? Why yes, yes I would.

I was anxious about being completely alone for two weeks in a gigantic house, afraid I’d feel lonely and cooped up. There were a couple of hours towards the end of my quarantine stint where climbing walls with the geckos started making perfect sense, but for the most part it was straight up dreamy. Pretty sure it’s against the rules of engagement to lodge a single complaint about solitude in palatial paradise whether government ordered or not. Any pacing that ensued was steeped in gratitude for an opportunity like no other.

The five weeks leading up to this point were emotionally charged, logistically tricky and wildly uncomfortable. Big change, however exciting, is scary. I was wound tight. Quarantine was my delicious chance to breathe and sit, let the shoulders drop from around the ears. Just be.

When in my life have I ever had two weeks in a row with zero responsibilities, no job to clock into, no kids to tend, no partner to check in with? Exactly never.

I brought books and puzzles, art supplies and journals, my sewing machine and mask making supplies. I did almost none of those things. I would normally need to fill my head with podcast voices, Netflix binges, obsessive phone checking and boredom snacking to calm the noise between the ears. There was no noise to speak of. My monkey jungle gym of a brain was entirely at peace for whole days at a time. Who knew this was even a thing? The only internal struggle really was periodic shots of guilt at being so incredibly fortunate while good chunks of the world are drowning in acutely painful turmoil. I did my best to stray quickly from the useless guilt. The gratitude train is a far more enjoyable ride. This was a soak it up moment with no room for the beat yourself up brigade.

My Quarantine Fauna Friends

I listened to the birds a lot. Flocks of white egrets fly in to feed on the abandoned golf course at dawn and dusk. A pair of neon sunshine yellow finches fancy the lawn outside the master suite. Gary the gecko and his lovely family poke their heads out from behind a steel sculpture on the lanai wall. When you have 14 days alone, geckos get names – just sayin’. The Myna Birds bathe near the infinity pool edge. There’s an enormous toad who makes a nightly appearance on the steps outside my room. I see wild boars on the golf course in the morning. My heart rate picked up a notch when I heard one rooting around just beyond the screen door one night. In a matter of days I have come to know the predictable routines of these tropical creatures. They have a rhythm. I get to listen.

The Daily Exercise Routine

There were simple meals and meditation. There was yoga by the pool. I had a stroke of genius one day in trying to wrap my brain around how to get legitimate exercise while swimming in an L-shaped infinity pool. I’m a swimmer. I do flip turns and intervals, IM’s and sprints. This is a bit of a challenge with a right angle maneuver. I needed to be attached to the wall. There had to be a way. Two tie down straps, one surfboard leash and an inflatable PFD fanny pack later….voila! Swim harness constructed. I was impressed enough with myself to bust out the iPhone tripod and hit record. Innovative solutions to luxury quarantine problems!

Swimming in place is crazy boring so I mixed it up by running barefoot laps around the house, sets of stairs, incline push-ups on the bathtub, step-ups on the hot tub edge, skater lunges on the landing. I played games with myself to add a new element to each lap. Grammy’s cookies be damned!

Should you have found yourself losing sleep, fretting about my state of mental health while holed up in a palace alone for two weeks, you can now rest easier. I survived. (Insert eye roll here. I know. It kind of makes you want to vomit and for this I apologize.)

It should really be illegal to be this happy.