Was randomly talking to my mom about the Maui fires a bit back and everything going on in Maui now, post fire, and it really got me thinking.
Growing up, I adored mountain fires. Being a kid in West side Waianae, mountain fires were a yearly thing since our mountains were so dry. Since Waianae is so dark(bc it's not a city like in the Windward side) you can't even see the mountains at night, making them blend in with the pitch black sky.
My living room had 2 wide sliding doors looking towards the mountains and whenever the fires came around, it would illuminate the fine mountain ridges. It was beautiful. I'd find myself sitting by that patio door every night just to see the dancing lines of blaze drawing the outlines of the almost invisible mountains, paired with the soft smell of smoke. The slight smoke filtered by the distance was one of my most pleasant and also memorable scents of my childhood.
I think it must have been weird for my parents then. Imagine seeing your child ritualistically sit by the open patio screen, staring out into the night in an entranced state? Plus the fact that it would be like that for a full month. Creepy...I'd even run out to see the fires the moment I woke up.
Another thing is a more cultural aspect. Pele. The Hawaiian goddess of fire and lava. Also my favorite Hawaiian Goddess growing up. Sometimes I'd find myself talking to the flames, miles away from my patio door as if it were Pele herself. I'd thank her for the beauty her flames provided as well as the beauty it would soon bring for these mountains.
Like I said, Waianae mountains are dry. Dry mountain = dirt colored, crusty grass aka brown mountains. Not your typical luscious green mountain full of life and care that you'd see on Hawai'is touristy ads and commercials. No. We don't have that in the Leeward. Thats why after the fires, our mountains would turn into a beautiful green, full of life and just beautiful.
This isn't really a comment on the Maui fires bc I have a lot to say about that, but with how nice a day I had, I kind of wanted to share a piece of my childhood.
