When things don’t go as planned, go with the flow: Talk to people. Be flexible. Enjoy whatever happens.
(You may see a giant sea turtle!)
On a recent trip to Oahu, in Hawaii, I zipped over to Hanauma Bay which has some of the best snorkeling on the island.
At only 10:30 the lot was full. On this curvy mountain road, I had no idea how to turn around.
So I kept driving straight and at the bottom of the mountain I saw a parking lot where the road was also lined with cars. I parked and was delighted to see a small beach down the cliff, crowded with people.
Down the sandy rocks, I headed toward the surprisingly cool water.
“Is the snorkeling good here?” I asked someone. He answered affirmatively. I don’t know why I asked since I didn’t have snorkeling gear.
I swam out and asked a guy “Are there good fish here?”
“There are lots of turtles right out there!” he said, “All different sizes.”
“Do they come up for air?” I asked. Yes. For minutes I stared, as if looking for a falling star, to no avail.
I asked a girl to borrow her mask. She happily handed it over. A mere fish or 3 swam around, with no turtles to be seen.
A woman stood upon the cliff by the water’s edge looking down. “Are there turtles?” I asked hopefully. A local, she knew the 5 local turtles, one she called by name. “If you lie there like a log they may come up to you, but don’t pet them.”
I tried to act as log-like as possible, again to no avail.
Finally I got out of the water, and walked down the craggy lava rocks to where she had stood.
Instantly, a 3 foot wide turtle swam to the surface and poked its head out for a breath. Such a thrill!
The girl who had lent me her snorkel swam 3 feet from the turtle—facing away with her mask on her head.
“Hey!” I called. And motioned for her to put the mask on and explore the water.
But it was too late.
The lesson: Sometimes you have to step back to see the turtles for the ocean.
I munched on my non-Famous Amos cookies and thought “This is just like my recipe. Only I like my cookies better. One day I’ll be Famous Susie!”
And I can’t imagine a better day, had I seen an ocean full of turtles and colorful fish. Although I just added a goal to swim with a sea turtle to my life list.
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