After working from Kona for 2 months, it’s time to return to Sacramento and navigate Honolulu airport.

You would think after missing my flight on Hawaiian Airlines and working from Kona for 2 months, I would be prepared for anything that could happen. Because there is a strange thing that happens when you’re in tune with the rhythm of the islands. It’s about developing a relaxed state of constant awareness of your surroundings. Will it rain? Will geckos dangle their heads out of the air vents in the wall to say hello? Will you squash a centipede while barefoot? Will whiteflies invade the under-side of the leaves on the Leea Guineensis and hibiscus? Will a ballistic missile threat wipe us all out?

I mean, everything was going so smoothly on my last day. Since throwing away all of my food in the last trash pickup, I managed to pick up more food. Washed the laundry. Packed my luggage for the following day, which is basically putting my laptop inside with all of its plugs and accessories. Headed out to my lanai for one last morning, which is a great place to be working from Kona for 2 months. It offers a 180-degree view from Keauhou Bay to Honokohau Harbor. This puts me in a different state of mind when I talk to clients and agents from my lanai. Focused but not overly invested in anything painful, if you know what I mean.

Time to go home, though. Back to my husband, our kitties, my team members, my office, reconnect with my house again. Then, all of a sudden, no more silence. My security system began screaming at me. Change the sensor battery on the garage door. WTF? Obviously, I have never maintained a security system before. No idea what a sensor battery could be. Googled it. Watched the video on how to remove the battery. Hopped in my just washed car and hightailed it to Target. Grabbed a handful of 2032 batteries, up and down ladders, changed it out after ripping it off the wall because the idiot installer attached it upside down.

Oh, just use double-sided tape, said the security people. Like everybody has double-sided tape lying around the house? After all was said and done, turns out I changed out the wrong battery. The correct one was right in front of my face on the garage door. Good thing I bought more batteries.

Surely the following day would turn out easier. Just lock up the house, close all the window coverings, grab an Uber to the airport. Landed in Honolulu without a hitch. Three hours until my return flight to Sacramento after working in Kona for 2 months. Three hours to think about my transition to reality. I closed 6 sales, took 6 listings and put 5 of those into pending status over the slowest months of the year. All while working from Kona for 2 months. Something to be proud about.

I checked my gate for the flight to Kona, Gate 61. Because my sister had asked for pineapple, I decided to ship some to her from the airport. The first shop could not find an order form to save their life. They suggested I walk to gate #20 at the other end of the airport to their other store and order it from there. They did not like my idea of picking up the phone and ordering it by phone. What the hey. It’s not like I had anything else to do. I walked the 20-minute trek to the newer section of the airport with high-end shops to accomplish my goal.

When I got back to the older part of the terminal, I popped in to the Hawaiian Premier Lounge to charge my cellphone and check email. Kept an eye on the time. My flight began boarding at 3:30. At 3:25, I left to make the 5-minute walk to Gate 61. Except, when I got there, it was empty. No passengers. Uh oh. Sinking feeling. Spotted a guy who looked confused and he, too, was heading for Sacramento. Then an elderly woman, well, older than I, showed up. Where is the plane, they both asked?

I glanced up at the monitor. Our plane was at Gate 22. I cannot miss a flight a second time, especially after already missing my flight last Tuesday because Hawaiian Airlines did not send an email to check-in. Both of the stranded passengers said they were going to follow me. I asked: Why would you follow a person who missed her last flight? Guy replied, “I don’t know you very well, but you don’t seem like a person who would miss her flight.”

Fortunately, I found an alternate way to get there, on a shuttle bus. The guy who ran the shuttle bus was like 94, and moving very slowly. He had to listen to me ask exactly, and I mean by minutes, how long will it take for the bus to get here and how long does it take to get the other side of the terminal. Answers. Now. Yup, my two other passengers seemed glad they had followed me.

Finally, squeezed into the line. Sacramento guy asked: Is this the end of the line? If you have to ask, you can’t stand next to me.

An Air Force Reservist in the window seat on the plane finished a Mai Tai as I slipped in the aisle seat. Flight attendant asked if I wanted one. Sure. And where are our nuts? I even had the Air Force dude chanting, where are my nuts? Landed at 11:30 PM and after working in Kona for 2 months, yup, it feels a bit strange to be home. Of course, I managed to make it to my 11 AM listing appointment on Saturday morning and, wouldn’t you know it, nobody was there. Eek. Welcome home, I guess.