What do you miss most?

On my recent visit to my hometown in Mississippi I found I really miss the sense of community that my town has.

And I miss getting ice tea everywhere I go.

Don't you hate that stuff that spews oou of dispensers and that some people actually believe is TEA? Gah! I've discovered two fast-food chains on the islnad where I can get real iced tea as I skitter about during my work days. I don't care what the rest have on special this week. If you don't have tea, I'm not interested in anything else you have to offer.

I miss getting corn meal whenever I want it, instead of having to ration out whatever I bring/find/import.

I miss green, green, green in the Spring and football season leaves a-changing in the Fall.

I miss my Mom.

I miss strangers being genuinely nice to me, even though I dress 'funny.'

After twelve years I find I still stumble across random memories of things tht used to be readily available to me that I just can't find here. Wolf brand chili, Zero candy bars - all kinds of ingredients that are common in New Orleans kitchens and unknown outside the area.

The wonderful thing about Hawaii is its diversity. Yep - it's even more remarkable than the beauty that draws so many people. My neighbors are Hawaiian, Samoan, Filipino, Chinese, Korean - every color of the rainbow, so many languages and cultures, so many religious persuasions -all on my little block. And we all get along. We all appreciate our differences and our commonalities. And they're all genuinely nice to me even though I talk funny and some of them dress funny. There's something to be said for this great melting pot in the middle of the Pacific. Something really nice.