As you may know, the term "Talk Story" comes from a long Hawaiian tradition of sharing experiences and folklore. On this page I'll share a few stories from my Lavaman Triathlon Hawaii experiences from 2023.
One evening at the community grill...
I love to grill...especially in Hawaii where the fish is local, fresh caught that morning and there is a lanai view to die for. One evening, probably our 2nd night in Makaha, I went down to grill some fresh Opa and started chatting with the other folks at the grill. The Hawaiian Princess is famous for the Canadian residents who to winter there. Finally it was my turn to grill, and there was one other person and we started talking about cycling, my upcoming triathlon and my quest to help cure cancer. It turns out that he is a 2-year lymphoma survivor. He had been training to do a triathlon when he was diagnosed and entered treatment. Here's the cool part: I saw him two days later and he told me that I had inspired to the point that he went out on his bike yesterday (which he brought with him from Canada) and felt GREAT. So great that he then went for a run, and a swim! He told me that he is so thankful that we met and now he's going to start training again! Is that cool or what!
The Honu: my spirit animal
I have come to believe that the Honu (turtle) is my spirit animal. Whenever we are in Hawaii and we go snorkeling, they just come to me. On this trip I had two wonderful encounters that taught me two distinct lessons. First, when out snorkeling one day I summoned my Honu friend. He came over and let me know that I can learn much from him: Glide through the water using your flippers to guide and propel you...look ahead...and lift your head to breath once in a while. Just keep swimming...
Second, on our last day we were out walking by the ocean and were at cove known to have honu come and rest on the beach...but there weren't any there. I told my Honu friends that we were on our way to the airport, and if you want to say goodbye to me, now is the time. No sooner had the words come out of my mouth, and my Honu stuck his head up out of the water and came ashore to say Aloha...until we meet again.