Messy Blessings | Aloha Calling - A Limited Life in O‘ahu

Aloha Calling - A Limited Life in O‘ahu is a personal blog series written by Maryland Artist and Photographer, Teresa Robertson. Gifted the opportunity to reside in O‘ahu with her family for 3 months, Teresa wanted to provide herself and others a way to not take this gift for granted and ensure that her experience was one to learn from, reflect on, and teach others. Through these words, she hopes to do just that.

Hawaiian Lei

I swear, I’m not complaining. I’m not unhappy. But the last several days have been a rollercoaster of emotion and I feel like it’s ok to say that.

When I first envisioned this blog, I wanted to make sure I was mindful to write about the emotion of our experience in Oahu, not just the technicalities. If each day brought challenges related strictly to our adventure, I’m sure I could find time to do that; however, when you throw the ‘move’, The Hubs government work, my photography business, first day(s) of school, college kid drama, car breakdowns, and Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep...it’s hard to find that ‘best moment’ to write.

So, I will say, emotions fluctuate greatly throughout the day - and if my words sound a little more like a manual, it was a day I was grateful to write at all. If you can feel the emotion in my voice, the day was a bit more calm.

Housing has been a little more challenging than we anticipated. If it were just The Hubs and I, living arrangements would be less of an issue. Living in Hawaii with limited budget, limited time, and The Girls makes for some slightly fine-tuned planning. Again, I will stress, nothing bad, we just want to be smart.

As for my feelings on leaving, I’ve been a bit surprised at myself. Getting back into the school routine has felt good and I find myself thinking through the day, ‘Aw, I think I’m going to miss this.’ As I mentioned previously, it’s such a welcomed feeling, though, knowing that I will be returning and making a mental note to myself to look forward to these things later down the line.

I can’t help but wonder if part of our purpose in leaving is to really know how much we belong where we are at. Which is awesome and unique and an extremely generous gift to have been given.

xo

Teresa

“I am fine”

— Maika‘i no au

Teresa Robertson received her Bachelor’s of Fine Art degree in Photography and Fine Art Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design. After serving as a volunteer for several years with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, she became interested in Birth Photography and Birth Doula (DONA) work as well. She soulfully resides on the island of Oahu, is passionate about preserving the land and culture, and is proud to serve on The Queen’s Court.