Waikiki
Daily writing prompt If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
View all responses If I could live anywhere in the world, it would be Waikiki in Honolulu, Hawaii.
I feel like someplace tropical and beautiful would be the common choice for most people if given this option, at least most people from Minnesota like myself. My identity has been forged, hammered, and constructed in the shadow of brutal cold and winters. I have a natural inclination to this location because of this pathological temperature damage. It is a very different biome than my own backyard, and to me that is alluring.
However, in response to this question, I have more of an emotional anchor to Waikiki than just a climatic appeal. I partially grew up visiting the island, taking vacations there every year, sometimes multiple times throughout my childhood until I was 18 years old. We played in the water, explored the city and beach, stayed at my favorite hotel the Moana Surfrider.
I highly suggest googling and watching a walking tour of Waikiki by Photo Luke Hawaii. He gives you a real sense of what it’s like to be living in Waikiki.
So besides the standard nostalgia trap of revisiting a magical place from my youth, there is another important reason why I love Waikiki. It was one of the few places I ever saw my parents truly happy and unfettered by the stress of modern day life. I love both my parents. They made mistakes, like all parents do, and I don’t excuse their behaviors or wish to confront them about past ills. I simply acknowledge them as human beings dealing with their own trauma and stresses, and I accept them where they are while maintaining my boundaries. Some of their issues that spread to me were from their own trauma, and others were their choice. Unfortunately, time doesn’t care about either, and will march on. I’ve found that I value my parents and I need to enjoy the moments we’ve got left.
My relationship with my parents is its whole different post, but going back to the teal-melted coast of Waikiki, well, it was just nice to see my parents feel distant enough from their problems to be themselves. This made Waikiki feel safe, like a second home. To actually see them be present and enjoy life was wonderful. I mean, my folks have always been happiest on vacation, like most people, but for them Hawaii represented something of a dream that was fulfilled. Nobody in my extended family had ever traveled at this level. They had achieved some sort of goal, and they could be happy.
Waikiki is just awesome, FYI. One one side you have a picturesque beach with a row of legendary hotels. Then you have downtown, a variety of restaurants, event centers, and every type of gift shop imaginable. I’m a beach guy. I’m a city guy. I want both, and Waikiki provides that dichotomy. You can get both in one trip. There is a vast influx of tourists so the area always feels alive and in movement. To be honest, I like swimming in the stream with the rest of salmon, and Waikiki is constantly in migration.
So yeah, a piece of myself is in Waikiki, and someday I’ll reconnect with it. Whether it is a connection to my past, the pure aesthetics and physical desires of that place, or my infatuation with beach life, well, Waikiki is the place for me.
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