easy, breezy, beautiful ( oahu paradise )

[glided youth]

nothingherenothingherenothing the soul becomes dyed with the

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profile for oahu paradise

[glided youth]

(( what's your name pretty girl? ))

_________ I laugh while climbing up a giant oak tree in my new sundress,
_________ petite hands tightly groping for sturdy branches. Grandma
_________ is running out of the house with her arms flailing in the air,
_________ her weary gray eyes bulging with anxiousness. It's too late.
_________ I'm already perched on the highest branch, out of her grasp.
_________ She's screaming at me, repeatedly demanding me to come down.

________________________" sнaуna cнase mcκenna get down from there this instant! "

(( can I call you anything else? ))

_________ There's a bonfire down the street and all the neighbours are
_________ gathered at the curb, lighting fireworks into the night sky. I
_________ take a thin sparkler for myself, approaching the boy holding a
_________ lighter in his hands. I ask him if he could help me out, and he
_________ smiles, producing a series of bright sparks from my sparkler.
_________ Soon we're talking, twirling our sparklers around and watching
_________ the numerous colors of light dancing across the moon. He asks
_________ me what my name is, I tell him. A few fleeting seconds afterwards,
_________ a teasing smirk plays at the corners of my mouth, I tell him,

________________________" but you can call me sнaу "

(( a lady never reveals her true age ))

_________ It's a hot summer’s day, the sweltering sun mocking those who have
_________ to suffer from its wrath. I'm sitting atop my lifeguard chair, eyeing
_________ longingly at the steady swell of the churning waves from where I'm
_________ situated. Several boys are walking towards me, carrying towels
_________ over their shoulders and attempting to look considerably more mature
_________ than they are. Their ineffective attempts at wooing do not relieve
_________ my growing vexation.

________________________" nice try, but I'm τwenτy and all of you are practically thirteen "

(( there's only one occassion where I wouldn't let you off the hook ))

_________ It's the start of the new year, and I whip out to the nearest store
_________ to purchase a new calendar for myself. Call me old-fashioned, but
_________ there's nothing better than crossing off each day with a thick black
_________ sharpie. I notice that the newest Harry Potter edition calender is
_________ half-off, so I purchase it, making my way home with my latest purchase.
_________ After rakishly tearing open the plastic sealing, I rummage through
_________ the months and circle one particular date using a ruby red marker.

________________________" deceмвer 9, my birthday "

(( not of the weaker sex ))

_________ My plane tickets in hand, I toss my duffle bag over my shoulder, staggering
_________ a few steps before being accustomed to its' arduous weight. Dad
_________ looks at me, clearly forlorn by my future absence. "Have fun, and
_________ look after yourself kiddo. I'm not going to be around to help you out."
_________ he says, hugging me tightly before I head through the departure gates
_________ at the terminal. I sigh, kindly reminding him that I'm not the same child
_________ who had trouble tying her shoelaces. He kisses my forehead, and waves
_________ while I walk away from his lonely figure. I remember the words he
_________ murmured softly under his breath.

________________________" you'll always be my little gιяʟ "

(( me jane, you tarzan ))

_________ We're walking home together - hand in hand, side by side. I shyly lean
_________ my head on his shoulder, realizing that he isn't the same boy who used
_________ to send me valentines so long ago. We arrive at my house. He walks
_________ me to the door and I smile nervously, aflutter by the strangely intense
_________ look he's giving me. He leans forward as if to give me a kiss, but the
_________ door opens and my dad's standing in the doorway, frowning and shooing
_________ him off as if he were a fly. I utter angrily,

________________________" dad, you can't deprive me of вoys for much longer "

(( the stars aline ))

_________ My friend and I are sitting on my bed, a stack of numerous fashion
_________ and lifestyle magazines at our feet. In her hand is a Seventeen
_________ magazine, the latest edition with some rising female teen sensation
_________ on the cover. Flipping through the pages, she sees a section on
_________ horoscopes. "What are you, Shay?" my friend asks, curious eyes
_________ glancing my way prior to returning to the page full of text.

________________________" i'm a sagιττarιus "

(( you go ahead, let your hair down ))

_________ Fingers gently comb through my knotted hair, tangled in sharp twigs
_________ and dead leaves. Mom chuckles at my monkey tree-climbing antics,
_________ brushing the loosely curled strands of rich auburn. "If your hair wasn't
_________ so long, then this would make things a whole lot easier for me." she
_________ sighed, picking out the wooden sprigs. I smile, replying cheekily,

________________________" if my hair wasn't яєd then maybe I wouldn't look like a rusty leaf blower "

(( the eye of the tiger ))

_________ I remember Secret Santa, a clandistine gift exchange during Christmas
_________ last year. Unwrapping my neatly wrapped gift covered in lime green
_________ paper, I gasp. Inside a small box is a circular pendant with detailed
_________ designs, carved out of an opaque milky green stone. Charlie steps
_________ forward, smiling timidly, and mumbles to me,

________________________" I got you that because your eyes reminded me of jadє "

(( you're giving me goosebumps ))

_________ Grandparents are visiting form out-of-town, sitting comfortably in the
_________ lawn chairs as the lingering waft of woody smoke drifts from the barbeque.
_________ I unfold a blanket on the lawn, exposing myself directly under the sun's
_________ blistering rays. My skin prickles, warming up while growing accustomed
_________ to the hot temperature. Grandma stares at me disapprovingly from behind
_________ her tinted lenses, protected by the shelter of the patio umbrella. She
_________ begins shaking her head and utters,

________________________" your skin looks like τanned aʟaвasτer; as far as I'm concerned, you don't need to be tanning. "

(( modelesque? hardly ))

_________ The boys laugh at me for my petite height and boyish figure, but suddenly
_________ I'm the one who's laughing.

________________________" ғιve ғooτ eιgнτ and one-нundяed τнιяτy-seven pounds "

(( what to wear, what to wear ))

_________ I open the closet, chewing absent-minded on my thumbnail. Observing
_________ my wardrobe, I debate on what to where. Colors, fabric, accessories
_________ and weather all come into play, affecting my decision. I'm growing
_________ impatient with my indecisiveness, feet tapping incessantly.

________________________" casuaʟ, coмғy, or cнιc? There's always my вeacн outfit. "


₪ ___ ₪ ___ ₪ ___ ₪ ___ ₪ ___ ₪ ___ ₪

[glided youth]

(( the internal spectrum ))

_________ I was never meant to takeover responsibility as the owner of my father's
_________ law firm. It didn't make sense. I, a drifting fiery spirit, cringed at the idea of
_________ being chained to a desk inside a muggy office building, wracking my brain
_________ over evidence and loopholes in court testimonies. The truth is that I
_________ wasn't born to be a lawyer or an attorney; I was born to be something
_________ more, as cliché as it sounds. I'm almost like water; a roaming element
_________ traveling through every nook on the earth. The waves, crashing against
_________ the rocky shore with passionate choler and ruthlessly overwhelming anything
_________ in its trail by its staggering resolve, calm down considerably and lapse
_________ back into flowering serenity. However, it refuses to stop kissing the shoreline
_________ no matter how many times it's sent away. Rivers, flowing through thickets of wood,
_________ investigate the landscape and trickle into smaller streams, exploring
_________ unreachable areas.

________________________" I'm sponτaneous, opτιmιsτιc, нaяuм-scaяuм, cuяιous, вoмвasτιc and ouτspoкen "

(( diamonds are a girls best friend ))

_________" εїз τяavєʟιng "
________________________ I go where the wind takes me.

_________" εїз swιммιng "
________________________ The ocean is just an extension of my very being.

_________" εїз sєa sнєʟʟs "
________________________ When it's the end of the day, I always take a walk along the beach,
________________________ searching for shells that are intriguing enough as an addition to my quaint
________________________ collection. If sand dollars were worth a dollar each, I'd be rich.

_________" εїз pιna coʟadas "
________________________ A drink that's very appropriate for the island sun.

_________" εїз вєacн volleyball "
________________________ It's a great way to get exercise and catch the eye of tanned beach boys.

_________" εїз conғιdєncє "
________________________ There's nothing more attractive than a confident person.

_________" εїз candʟєʟιgнτ "
________________________ Our lives are like a candle in the wind.

(( a rule of thumb ))

_________" εїз agє "
________________________ Few women admit their age and few men act theirs.

_________" εїз advιcє "
________________________ My neighbor Ms. Dubois always told me a clever one doesn't need it and
________________________ a fool won't take it; it's stuck with me ever since.

_________" εїз sєawєєd "
________________________ It's harder to swim through that stuff when your trying to rescue a person's
________________________ life, and it doesn't help that it's rottenly slimy.

_________" εїз spєєdos "
________________________ On the job I've seen men wearing bathing bottoms that are a little too snug
________________________ for their own good. Speedos are no exception.

_________" εїз ʟιaяs "
________________________ I know the truth isn’t pretty, so you might as well give me the hard facts.

_________" εїз вooκwoямs "
________________________ There's more to life than rule books, or any kind of book for that matter.
________________________ Get out into the world and explore it for yourself; you'll gain more knowledge
________________________ by experience over any other book.

_________" εїз desτιny "
________________________ I don't believe in all that destiny stuff. I'm more of a
________________________ here-and-now person.

(( daily distractions ))

_________" εїз яιp cuяяєnтs "
________________________ I've been taught that rip currents are beneficial to lifeguards, whether
________________________ they're merely swimming or using a paddleboard. The strong flow of water
________________________ enables me to perform a rescue more efficiently than I could swim or paddle
________________________ through wave. Despite being a lifeguard and having countless successful
________________________ experiences with rip currents, I always have an image of myself being dragged
________________________ mercilessly from the beach, struggling against the strong current and drowning
________________________ beneath a blanket of cool unforgiving fluid.

_________" εїз uиsuccєssғuʟ яєscuєs "
________________________ I try not to occupy myself with ill-conceived thoughts of letting a life slip
________________________ through my fingers, but I often feel as if I am to blame for forsaking a
________________________ person's life. Watching their limp figure drift beneath the ocean, or carrying
________________________ a frigid body back to the shore, only to realize that it's to late, evokes
________________________ melancholy into my very soul. A piece of me dies, knowing that I was the one
________________________ who could've saved them, but didn't.

(( it's a beautiful day in the neighbourhood ))

_________ You know that moment in time where you wish you could just make it last
_________ forever? I've only dreamt of that moment a dozen times in my head when
_________ a day on the job seems a little longer than usual. My toes buried beneath
_________ small granules of silky sand while my curls of auburn sprawled across a
_________ strong chest, head resting in the nook of someone's neck. Whose chest it
_________ is still a mystery, but hopefully it belongs to someone with muscles and a
_________ good sense of humor. The beach empty except for the two of us, nestled
_________ on a blanket beneath the setting sun descending into the bleak pink and
_________ yellow horizon. Lapping waves, mixed with the odd chirp from a seagull, fill the
_________ eerily subdued air as salty water from the ocean sprays at our faces.

________________________" this is my pєяғєcτ day "

(( blame it on my subconscious ))

_________ " εїз twirls hair when bored
_________ εїз voice becomes overly high-pitched when frustrated
_________ εїз gaze wanders while speaking to someone
_________ εїз waves hands up and down to get someone's attention
_________ εїз hates it when people don't take her seriously
_________ εїз can't stand formal events
_________ εїз refuses to let anyone see her board other than herself "

(( just close your eyes ))

_________ εїз to never lose a life to the sea
_________ εїз to reside in hawaii until it looses it's spark (an unlikely matter) "

[glided youth]

(( a pretty simple decision ))

_________ I was resting at home curled beneath a fleece blanket on the couch,
_________ clutching a bowl of popcorn on my lap as I watched When a Stranger
_________ Calls. My frantic eyes were glued to the illuminated television screen,
_________ casting a pale glow on my face in the darkness of my home. Pulse
_________ quickening, my uneasiness mounting for the heroine who was growing
_________ increasingly frenetic by anonymous phone calls, I picked out whatever
_________ buttery exploded kernels remained. It was then that a phone began to
_________ ring; yet, much to my surprise, it was not coming from the movie.
_________ Apprehensively, the idea still fresh in my mind that there could possibly
_________ be a stalker on the other end of my phone line, much like the one in the
_________ film, I ambled towards my home phone. I answered, and a low voice
_________ replied,

________________________" you've got the job as a ʟιғєguard at the local beach "

(( the apple doesn't fall far from the tree ))

_________ There’s nothing special about my family. I have my parents, my younger
_________ sister, and my grandparents; plus a few cousins on my dad’s side, but
_________ I’ve never met them. A bit of bad blood between brothers I’d say. Shortly
_________ after Colby, my little sister, although now she’s not so little ever since the
_________ last time I saw her, was born, my parents were constantly at odds with
_________ each other. Eventually, they both had enough and wanted their marriage
_________ annulled. I stayed with dad in Phoenix, while Colby went to live with mom in
_________ Chicago. At the time, I was just nine and Colby was three. Looking back,
_________ I realize how much dad struggled to raise me subsequent to the divorce. After
_________ all, there was no motherly figure to teach me all the things I needed to know
_________ as a kid, except for grandma who griped more than she taught. When my
_________ grandparents came over, they usually spent most of their time watching golf
_________ in the living room in between trying to chase untamed me down the street.
_________ Every Christmas, mom and Colby came for a visit, though it only made things
_________ awkward at home. My mom, whose appearance and loving demeanor once
_________ seemed so familiar to me, was a foreign person, and my sister was growing
_________ up each time we convened.

________________________" they're the only ғamιʟy I've got "

(( shedding fur like crazy ))

_________ My first pet as a kid was Sir Hopalot, a cuddly gray rabbit dad got me
_________ for my birthday. I was complaining about how every kid at school at a
_________ pet, and I didn’t. Of course, I ended up playing the “mom and sister don’t
_________ live with me” card, which works on him every time. Needless to say, I
_________ accidentally left Sir Hopalot’s cage open and he disappeared beneath a hole
_________ dug by the picket fence in the backyard. When I moved out to Hawaii,
_________ within the first month I became utterly lonely and disheartened, missing the
_________ familiarity I had with my surroundings back in Phoenix. That’s when I saw an
_________ ad in the local newspaper. A litter of newly born yellow retrievers were born,
_________ and the owners were selling them. Out of the six puppies born, only two of
_________ them were boys. Murphy was one of them. I’ve had him for two and a half
_________ years so far, and I’m still fervently waiting for the day for him to grow up. Until
_________ then, I’ll continue to shower him with my undivided affection.

________________________" he's my dog and I'm his owner "

(( a pretty simple decision ))

_________ I’ll tell you the truth: I never thought I’d be a lifeguard at twenty. Actually,
_________ I never really wanted to be one until two years ago. My dad had this plan
_________ that I’d go to law school, get a degree in law, and then take over his lawyer
_________ firm. Everything was law, law, law – and I hated law. Not one bit about
_________ it appealed to me. One warm afternoon in the summer, I went to the beach
_________ at Lake Havasu in order to clear my head and rejuvenate my thoughts. After
_________ everything my dad went through, the divorce and taking care of me on his own,
_________ I didn’t want to let him down. At the same time I couldn’t bear to follow this
_________ premeditated path he wanted me to take. Irritated by the predicament, I
_________ unflinchingly walked into the icy water and swam nonchalantly while letting the
_________ gentle local breeze tussle my red curls. I noticed a boy about twenty meters
_________ away from me, wearing shark goggles and water wings on either of his arms.
_________ He seemed around six or seven years old and happened to be the only one,
_________ apart from myself, in the water. I paid little attention to him.

_________ Several minutes later, I heard a woman crying out for, what I assumed was,
_________ her child. She was standing at the shore, hand sheltering her vision from the
_________ gleam of the sun, and shouting, “Kyle!” I stopped swimming, and, becoming
_________ concerned for the hysterical woman, surveyed the lake for any sign of a boy.
_________ Then it hit me almost immediately like an epiphany; goggle boy was undoubtedly
_________ Kyle. There was no sign of him above the surface, so I dove underwater,
_________ opening my eyes despite the disadvantage of the slightly murky water. That’s
_________ when I saw a pair of sluggish flailing arms attached to a small body that was
_________ leisurely descending towards the bottom of the lake. His water wings had
_________ deflated, a likely cause for him going under.

_________ I swam towards him, arms pushing through the dense water and legs kicking
_________ powerfully. Soon, I had an unconscious Kyle in my grasp, carrying him to the
_________ surface with the sensation of building pressure filling my lungs. I was running
_________ out of air, and fast. Yet, no matter how much I kicked my feet, it seemed
_________ that I wasn’t getting any closer to the surface. My head was aching and my
_________ eyelids were fluttering closed. However, I recall a sudden strong grip on my
_________ forearm, dragging me upwards. Everything after that was a bit of a blur, though
_________ I’m almost certain that I was coughing up water. When I came to my senses
_________ and out of disorientation, I was looking into the shockingly bluest eyes I’ve
_________ ever seen, almost the shade of a pool with chlorine. They belonged to a
_________ stranger wearing a red shirt; I understood he was a lifeguard. Out of the
_________ corner of my eye, I could see a woman hugging Kyle, nodding appreciatively
_________ my way. I don’t know if it was my imagination, but I thought she was mouthing
_________ the words “thank-you” to me. Chlorine-eyes smiled at me. “You’re not bad kid.
_________ If you didn’t get to that boy, then who knows what would’ve happened to him.
_________ You should consider being a lifeguard.”

_________ That was my first unofficial rescue, and you never forget your firsts. I went
_________ home that night and said to my dad, “I think I can be more than a lawyer.”

_________ And if I didn't act as I did that day, I have a feeling that I'd be stuck in a
_________ miserable office giving legal advice at this very moment.

________________________" a moment lasts all of a second, but the мємoяy lives forever "

(( this is home ))

_________ I’ve lived here long enough to be calling Oahu home, so that’s enough of
_________a reason for a person to understand how a girl of Scottish ancestry can
_________ be considered a local of Oahu. When I first moved out to the chief island
_________ of Hawaii, I had a lot of trouble adjusting to a new life. On the other hand,
_________ I managed to get around after purchasing an old yellow Honda civic that
_________ was for sale at a reasonable price. It was a good enough vehicle for me.
_________ Searching for a place to live was another difficulty. I noticed the recognizable
_________ ‘For Sale’ sign while driving past a charming house that reminded me of the
_________ kind my grandparents lived in. The owners, whom were coincidentally
_________ elderly, weren’t asking for much, so I bought that too. They made me
_________ promise that I’d continue to preserve the garden of various floras in the
_________ front; I’ve kept that promise, and every year I plant some flowers by the
_________ modest wooden enclosure.

________________________" i'm just one of the ʟocaʟs "

[glided youth]

█ ▌ ▐ - like

█ ▌ ▐ - dislike

█ ▌ ▐ - unknown

█ ▌ ▐ - love

█ ▌ ▐ - mixed feelings

_____ (( FIRST NAME ___ LAST NAME )) _ RELATIONSHIP SYMBOL

_____ what i think of them

_____ one word