Photo by Maria Rasin (née Ponomaryova)
Maria Rasin (née Ponomaryova)@maria_ponomaryova Two years ago I moved to Hawaii thinking of it as an extended vacation with better zip codes. I was wrong, the way you’re wrong about a haircut that turns out to actually change your whole face. Somewhere between year one and year two, without my consent, I became a different, more barefoot version of myself. Year one was mostly performance. I photographed every sunset like it might be recalled. I said things like «I can’t believe I live here» out loud, to strangers, unprompted. Somewhere in year two, the performance quietly stopped, because it turned out I didn’t need an audience for it anymore. I’d just become the thing. I no longer photograph the sunset. Tucker and I have a hiking route we do without discussion now, the way old couples order «the usual» — he knows which ridge, I know which switchback makes my thighs file a formal complaint. I own four reusable water bottles and cannot explain the other three. I have developed opinions about poke I did not ask for and cannot take back. And somewhere along the way, «island time» stopped being a joke I made to visiting friends and became an actual disease I now have. Twenty minutes, to current-me, means «after this hike, this shower, and this deeply unnecessary smoothie.» Past-me would find this appalling. Past-me also didn’t know what she was missing, bless her, poor overdressed indoor creature.
Comments
A preview Instagram ships with the post — 15 of 37 public comments.
@03_your_dream_22 this hit different at 7am with my coffee
@vik_usia777 saving this for when i doubt my own move
@alino_chka_lv "deeply unnecessary smoothie" is sending me
@little2_0_0_ this is exactly the content i needed today
@lenalelya2013 four water bottles is a start honestly, i have six
@alena_vladimirovna_34 the audacity of past me thinking nothing would change
@fulitkaoks tucker the philosopher king 👑
@pankiv_j this is so well written i had to read it twice
@iul.8256 the "extended vacation with better zip codes" bit killed me
@svitlana0603 this is why i follow you 😂😂😂😂
@larysa__kravecc i'm two years into my move too and this is uncannily accurate
@irusya_om_ the haircut analogy might be the best opening line i've read all week
@jtereta who else photographed every single sunset the first year 🙋♀️
@turovskatatiana island time disease is so real i think i have it too
@barriers_app "A more barefoot version of myself" is such a lovely way to describe a place changing you without asking first.