Parasailing
By Ian Daniel
Mom loved Hawaii.
The sights, the sounds, the smells .. and those incredible sunsets.
She knew when she came with us ... that we'd be having a series of "adventures."
She was counting on going to the zoo. She found the Honolulu Zoo to be the most natural place, with an endless array of sights strange and unique, sounds of cackling and cooing birds, fragrant tropical flowers so aromatic they couldn't be real -- yet they were.
Likewise, Mom couldn't get enough of the aquarium. Mom approached it all with a sense of wonder, and loved to explore every inch of it together with 18-month old Willow. You might say they discovered it all together.
She was counting on trips to the beach, to relax and, taking an arm, to walk along in shallow water. She also knew that one day or another, we would take a drive to the north shore to see the waves, and possibly watch world-class surfers battle their way through. She counted on a trip to a small north shore village for Thai food at one of our favourite haunts.
Fast or slow, Mom rolled with it all.
"What are we doing tomorrow?" she asked.
"We're going parasailing, Mom. What do you think? Would you like to give it a try?"
She thought about it overnight, and the next day at breakfast, she leaned over the table toward me, and with a cheeky grin, looked deep into my eyes and said: "You know, Ian, I would only do this for you."
The guys on the boat knew they had a gem. They worked very hard to make certain that she was comfortable and safe. She didn't flinch. The decision made, she never looked back.
Here is a bit of the day ...
... and of all the things she reported to friends when she got back, parasailing was at the top of the list.