Saturday, June 26, 2010

Surviving Drama


The Spin Cycle topic this week is drama.

I’ve got drama.

I have Daughter, who will be turning 21 next week, who is a drama kid. In the literal sense. Plays, musicals. All that jazz. In her high school drama program they had fundraising T-shirts that had "Got Drama?" on the front. Perhaps I should not have made fun of the shirts...

I’ve got unbloggable dramas. You folks who have been around for more than 10 months might remember the old Pseudo, before the unbloggable.

I teach teenagers. So I am around drama on a daily basis.

Currently, I have an 83 year old mother who has mental health problems, who needs (for over two years) to go into assisted living. Who is causing all kinds of dramas with her children and grandchildren as she tries to pit them against each other. My mother thrives on drama.

Me? Not so much.

It makes me want to buy a one way ticket on a train and do a Jack Kerouac cross country all by my lonesome skedaddle.

But the theme in my life of late appears to be how to pick up the broken pieces and have faith they will be put back together in a mosaic stronger than that which came before.

So, while I take one day at a time, remembering to breathe deeply and notice the beauty that still surrounds me, I find myself gardening. Kind of sort of. It’s a new hobby.

The house we moved to has a HUGE yard. There is a cemented in creek behind the house that used to be a real one, evidenced by the rocky yard. There is an embankment. Try and plant something in this area and you will be cursing at the 235 rocks you come across.

So, while hubs and I are at the beach one day I ask about the shrubbery thriving in the sand. Along the rocky shoreline.



He tells me it is called Naupaka. I figure if it can grow in the rocks and the sand along the coast, perhaps it can grow in my yard. So I bring back some cuttings.

Then, as happens, I start to notice it everywhere. It’s a common hedge shrub in this neighborhood.

I’m very excited about my Naupaka embankment. As I water it and cheer for it to root, it symbolizes the beauty that can emerge even from the toughest predicaments.


When I researched Naupaka, I came upon its legend.

The Legend of Naupaka

It is said that two lovers, greatly devoted to each other, came to the attention of the Goddess Pele. Pele found the young man desirable and appeared before him as a beautiful stranger. But no matter what Pele did, the lovers remained devoted to each other.

Angered, Pele chased the young man into the mountains, throwing molten lava at him. Pele's sisters witnessed this and to save the young man from a certain death they changed him into the mountain Naupaka.

Pele immediately went after the young woman and chased her towards the sea - but again Pele's sisters stepped in and changed the young lover into beach Naupaka.

It is said that if the mountain Naupaka and beach Naupaka flowers are reunited, the two young lovers will be together again.




The half flower representing the separated lovers...

For more spins on drama, head on over to Sprite's Keeper.

35 comments:

Liz Mays said...

Maybe one day they will be reunited. What a wonderful legend, and the flower is just gorgeous. What a beautiful thing to see amongst the rocks.

Lisa said...

The plant look so much like a water plant we have here (please don't ask me what it is called, I don't know plant names in Malay, and I don't know them in English). I wonder what was the drama for the water flower :)

Christy said...

I hope it thrives in your garden and you share some photos too. And hope the drama lessens soon...thinking of you!

CiCi said...

Cool half flower. Nice story behind the plant. You do have lots to deal with. I hope your weekend is peaceful.

cheatymoon said...

We're spinning about drama? Perhaps I should jump back in...
Love your rock garden. xoxo

Beth said...

I absolutely LOVE this story! And I'm sorry about the unbloggable. It can be wearing. I have had you in my thoughts.

K Dubs said...

Drama off the stage is no fun :( I'm sorry. I love the story of the plant, though - and can't wait to see if it grows in your rock garden!

Sherrie Petersen said...

What a great story! I love old legends like this.

Mrsbear said...

That's a lovely legend and a great spin on drama or the absence of it, which can be tricky. Hope your naupaka thrives and blossoms in to a peaceful corner among the rocks. Sucks how even when you avoid drama it always has a way of finding us.

Captain Dumbass said...

Pele was such a bitch. It's a beautiful plant though, hope it takes.

Captain Dumbass said...

Wait. Have you stopped to consider maybe you've done something to piss off Pele in the last couple of years? Maybe you should find a virgin to throw into the nearest volcano.

Just an idea.

Maureen@IslandRoar said...

"But the theme in my life of late appears to be how to pick up the broken pieces and have faith they will be put back together in a mosaic stronger than that which came before;"
Beautifully put!
And I love the legend. Gardening is just good for the soul...

Julie H said...

Whenever I'm feeling blue or uncertain I head for the garden! You can work out a lot of things in your mind while you pull weeds!

Joanna Jenkins said...

Your first picture with the water-- I think I'd sit perched there until the drama subsides. It's gorgeous and peaceful.

Hope you're enjoying gardening. It can be very relaxing.

Thanks for the Spin.
jj

Kristan said...

What a beautiful story! And what a great symbol for your drama spin.

Amy said...

that is such a pretty flower and love the story behind it..

Brian Miller said...

a wonderful legend. i am a fan of plants that thrive in the most unusual circumstances...i guess i root for the underdog...smiles.

Twenty Four At Heart said...

I think we have that here? Or maybe it's just a plant that looks similar. I hate drama. Life is too short.

Jeanne Estridge said...

I don't think I've ever seen those half-blossoms before, but they're wonderfully evocative. They could be a metaphor for so many things....

Sprite's Keeper said...

What a beautiful legend! For someone who sees so much drama, you are very resilient. Maybe that's why drama flocks to you, every storm needs a calm eye in the middle of it.
You're linked!

SuziCate said...

I don't like drama either unless I'm watching a play. I like your Spin. That is a lovely legend you posted.

Heidi said...

Beautiful, that's all I have to say :) Great spin!

ds said...

Beautiful. Love the legend also. Hope the dramas come to a satisfactory resolution. Rather like the way you resolved the "problem" of your garden.

Anonymous said...

Family issues can be so draining. I can see my Mom issues happening in the near future.


Glad you've found a stress reliever in gardening.

Casey said...

You sure do have your fair share of drama but it sounds like you're finding ways to balance it out.

Love the tale of the separated lovers.

Just B said...

I love Hawaiian legends and the surety and simplicity they have in explaining things. Everything has a beautiful name and a good story.

If only we could give the unbloggable drama pretty names and good explanations...

Mike said...

I hate drama also. I seem to have quite a bit of it in my family.

I think that I had heard that legend before at some point when I was younger. It sounded very familiar.

Anonymous said...

That is a wonderful tale and what a lovely flower!

Melissa B. said...

I highly recommend gardening as a "drama-free zone." The beach, too. But I think you've got that covered already, correctamundo? Sorry about your mom. Been there. I'd like to say "welcome to the club," but it's not a very upbeat organization...If you'd like to talk~off-blog, that is~I'm ready, and willing!

Heather said...

I can relate to the family drama, sounds like your mom and my mom would compete on who has more drama! I love that I live far enough away from it, now if only I could get away with shutting off my phone!

I love that tale of the Naupaka, so interesting.

creative kerfuffle said...

love the flowers, love the legend, love that you're gardening : ) and your description of picking up the broken pieces and turning it into a mosaic that is stronger....really love that. i also loathe drama and hope that gardening helps you cope w/ the drama you have to deal w/.

tulpen said...

LOVE the story about the Naupaka!

And can't stand drama. Happy gardening!

gretchen said...

It seems like every family full of drama has someone like you who ends up having to mop up after the eruptions! I identify, I'm afraid.

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

We have a plant here called Jade which looks like a similar succulent-it's great for places nothing else grows.

The older I get the less drama I can tolerate. I grew up with tons of drama and life with my mother and mentally ill sister was always full of drama--since they both passed away the drama is gone. Though I miss them, I do not miss the drama.

Anonymous said...

How do we find each other on a machine I want to know?? I would love to hear about your unbloggable stuff- it feels like your life is so much like mine in many ways. Perhaps a private blog that is shared only by those who have unbloggable stuff going on. A sort of toxic waste dump turned garden?
Hugs and good luck on the yard- sounds like fun.