About Me

Pearl City, HI, United States
Husband, father, grandfather, friend...a few of the roles acquired in 69 years of living. I keep an upbeat attitude, loving humor and the singular freedom of a perfect laugh. I don't let curmudgeons ruin my day; that only gives them power over me. Having experienced death once, I no longer fear it, although I am still frightened by the process of dying. I love to write because it allows me the freedom to vent those complex feelings that bounce restlessly off the walls of my mind; and express the beauty that can only be found within the human heart.

Sunday, February 09, 2020

Winter's Chill



Copyright © 2020
by Ralph F. Couey

This essay is likely to cause a lot of heartburn among those of you suffering through your mainland winters,  Having grown up in the midwest, and suffering in the 18-degree cold at last year's AFC Championship game in Kansas City, rest assured I do feel your pain.

Winter has come to Hawai'i.  Atop the world's largest volcano, Mauna Loa and its nearby sister Mauna Kea, about twelve inches of snow have fallen.  This makes for some unforgettable views, as most snow-capped mountains do.  Here in Honolulu, nighttime temperatures are falling through the low 60's.  Local people are going around in long pants, coats and hoodies, and have even eschewed the traditional flip-flop for actual shoes.  Now, before you all go into your eye-rolling, groaning, castigation of us islanders, allow me to explain.

Living in the tropics is an entirely different experience.  Because we are 1,600 miles closer to the equator, the sun's rays are far more direct than in the higher latitudes.  This means even on a day when the temperatures creep into the 90's, it can feel 10 or 15 degrees warmer.  And on those days when the trade winds shift or die completely, it is downright sweatily oppressive.  Living in such conditions, over time (at least a year), the pores of your skin open much wider, responding to the need for the body to cool itself.  I know it gets hot, humid, and oppressive in many places on the mainland, but there, those conditions last only three months, in some places maybe four.  Here, those kind of days persist for 9 to 10 months.  If you spend enough time here, you will lose all your tolerance for even moderately cool temperatures. 

Growing up in the midwest, my comfort zone, my wheelhouse was about 68 to 78 degrees.  For me, that was very comfortable, as long as the humidity was low as well.  But even in mid-January, I remember playing outdoors in shorts and t-shirt when the temperatures "soared" to 55 degrees.  My poor mother consistently upbraided me for under-dressing during the winter.

Wednesday, February 05, 2020

Victory!!! and Vindication

Damien Williams slams the door.
Fox Sports

Copyright © 2020
by Ralph F. Couey

There was a moment Sunday afternoon (here in Hawai'i) when realization struck with the force of the Chicxulub Impactor.  The Kansas City Chiefs, after 50 years of bitter disappointments were about to win the Super Bowl.  Just minutes before, it seemed that the game was virtually over.  Patrick Mahomes had just thrown his second interception.  The 49ers were up by 10 with about seven minutes left in the game.  With other teams in other times, that might have been the signal to turn off the television and go do something else.  But my wife and I just settled back on the couch, both of us wearing that smug little "I-know-something-you-don't-know" smile, and just waited for the magic to happen.  In five and a half minutes, Mahomes and the Chiefs put up three touchdowns and stopped the San Francisco offense.  What had been a 10 point deficit suddenly became a four point lead.  Then Damien Williams, following Anthony Sherman around the left side, broke loose for a 38-yard sprint that sealed the game.  Suddenly, the belief became reality.  With one final 60-yard heave by Mahomes, the clock ran out, the confetti erupted, and the Kansas City Chiefs became World Champions of Professional Football.

I've spent the past three days trying to collect my thoughts.  One part of me seems to be locked in a dream-like state, not completely trusting the truth of what has happened.  I find myself asking over and over, "Did that really happen?"

But now in the early hours of Wednesday, I can finally cast aside the clouds of dreams and fully embrace the bright and shiny truth.