Page 2 - MIdWeek - Feb 24, 2021

2 MIDWEEK FEBRUARY 24, 2021
CHASING THE LIGHT
with Megan Takagi
Why I’m Savoring My Solitude
“It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in sol- itude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”
When I was 13, I had a spe- cific life goal: to marry the dreamy actor Devon Sawa by the time I turned 24. Later, I became obsessed with romantic comedies. The awkward girl meets the cute guy fol- lowed by various ups and downs, and finally the happily-ever-after wedding. I wanted that script.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
IA Playlist About 2020
t’s far too early to celebrate, but the light at the end of the tunnel continues to come into clearer focus. More people are getting vaccinated (if we could just get
friends. I tweaked my job description, incorporated creativity into meaningful projects, and made my goal of being able to work anywhere in the world a reality.
more doses sent here!) and Pearlridge Center announced that 14 new stores or kiosks are opening there.
Yet somehow, in all my 38 years, I’ve yet to stumble adorably into the arms of a handsome, single and age-appropriate stranger. Which isn’t to say I haven’t had boyfriends. What I have done is delayed breaking up with them so that I would have a date for a wedding or holiday party. Post-breakup, I’ve followed pre- scribed advice to “put myself out there” on dating apps, while attempting (para- doxically) to act nonchalant and “just let the universe do its thing.”
One positive touchstone of 2020 will undoubtedly be the year’s music — perhaps songs like these, whose titles seem to mimic the bizarre year and make for a fun playlist:
The author once dreamed of marrying Devon Sawa, an actor cast in the 1995 film Casper.
PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Perhaps someday a handsome, masked neighbor will knock on my door one day when our groceries are comi- cally delivered to the wrong apartments. But until then, in a vast sea of couples, I am savoring my solitude, fully whole and complete. For even during a pan- demic of loneliness and isolation, we can each find strength to design our own joy, chase our own light, little by little.
Things You Can’t Control (SOJA and Trevor Young). The title just about says it all for the frustrations of the past year.
hood. I was done. Over it.
I decided, instead, to focus on my own
Circles (Post Malone). OK, go out and play. No wait, come back inside. Hang out with family only. Actually, hang out with no one! As Malone sings, “We’re running in circles,” and getting exhausted, but many went nowhere last year.
version of fulfillment. Of course, I had to figure out what that was.
Road Trip (Sons of Zion). Surely something we couldn’t do in 2020, especially if that road trip included actually getting out of our cars.
In the midst of searching for my elu- sive “other half,” someone I cared very deeply for (and who remained a friend after we dated), ended his own life af- ter struggling with bipolar disorder. My heart physically ached, torn into a thou- sand pieces. I felt adrift and more alone than ever. Screw the universe and the romantic comedy version of happiness, of searching for completion in couple-
First, I quit all dating apps. Second, I purged 50 percent of my belongings, getting rid of everything extraneous that weighed me down. Third, I made a list of things that brought me real joy.
Megan Takagi is the director of busi- ness development for Takagi & Takagi, a multi-generational family business that helps clients lead intentional, fulfilling,
Rumor (Maoli). Rumors, alternative facts, fake news, social media, dubious posts, paranoia and a huge crevice in our political landscape. It all became the reality (or lack thereof) last year.
I began to live the list. I took long walks during the beautiful, golden hour before twilight. I started writing poetry. I found courage to audition for The Sound of Music ensemble at Diamond Head Theatre—a lifelong dream of mine— and made wonderful memories and
and empowered lives through goals- based financial guidance.
Chasing The Light is produced by Lynne Johnson and Robin Stephens Rohr. Edited by Sharon Linnéa.
Without You (Rebel SoulJahz). Pretty much how we spent most days: without others. We might’ve spent a lot of time with ourselves; if so, hopefully we learned some- thing of value as the new days dawn.
SPEED BUMP by Dave Coverly
Speechless and When The Rain Falls (Kolohe Kai). You couldn’t make up some of what happened in 2020, when “hard to believe” became the norm, often leaving us speechless, and the pandemic rain kept falling. Luckily, real rain washes things away and we move on.
New Century Schoolbook bold (scaled H 73.6)
10,000 Hours (Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber). This is what many weekdays felt like — idle time, expanded work days, no work, too little human connection, Zoom after Zoom, raising kids, raising hell, where every long day invariably felt like June 35 or Aug. 47.
Memories (Maroon 5). When all was said and done way back in 2020, that’s (hopefully) all we remember when we glance back — memories, and none too painful.
For long-haulers, COVID-19 may not end up being just a blip on life’s colorful radar screen. But many people’s memories will include earworms like the songs above, plus the good, helpful, caring and empathetic humanity they experienced way back in 2020.
Think about it ...
john@thinkaboutithawaii.com