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Sunday, September 29, 2013

"True Friends..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen'

This blog is dedicated to my dear friend John Rogers. this  blog is all about his recent visit
to the Cosmic Garden Island of Kaua'i. That's John on the left and yours truly on the right.

This blog also ran as my column the Garden Island News on 10-07-13
http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/guest/always-treasure-life-s-true-friends/article_b7584a82-2fa0-11e3-ba43-001a4bcf887a.html

Enjoy!

True Friends

My  father always told me, "your lucky if you can go through life and count your true and loyal friends on one hand."

This past week I received a blast from the past, a friend I haven't seen in  approximately 30 plus years besides  on  a brief layover flight  10 years ago.   He  traveled from L.A. to  Mau'i for the honor of  being the best man at a friends wedding. He was on a whirlwind  vacation consisting of 4 days, with two days totally dedicated to the wedding, rehearsal , rehearsal dinner, the wedding and reception.

He called and said he was coming to Kaua'i for 5 hours. He had to change planes in Honolulu with a 2 hour layover for a flight Kaua'i bound.   I am thinking to myself, why is he doing this for only  5 hours? Would I do the same?

He was scheduled to come in at 1:10, however he did not arrive until 1:35. He finally arrives and the first thing he says is, he needs to be back to the airport to catch a 5:00 o'clock flight back-- which means we'd have to back at 4:00 P.M. That would enable  me enough time to present him with a home made braided  Ti-leaf lei, drive to Costco and  order a deluxe pizza, talk story, then drive him back to the airport.

I did a little Google research before he arrived and found a later flight out. I  advised my friend  to change his flight. There was a flight that departs at 8:44 P.M. This way I could at least show him some of the awesome Cosmic Garden island, I call home.   After much hoopla and talking to Hawai'ian airlines reps in the Philippine's he was able to change his flight to the later  time with a $55.00 penalty fee. 

My friend went with it, he didn't fight the extra charge. He smiled and went with the flow of who cares, it's only money. 

We now had time to go back to my place, collect  my bike , my spare bike, my dog 'Obama'  and cruise the  awesome Kapa'a -Kealia leg of the Pedestrian trail.  My buddy had not been on a bike for years and said it was one of the best days ever for him.

We capped off our day with an Awesome burger and fries at my favorite Kapa'a restaurant, Burger King, the best burger franchise on the Island.The manager made our burgers special to order, double toasted with extra tomatoes, onions and  mayo on the side, delivered  to our tables with  aloha and  the biggest smile I ever saw.

We only had  6 hours to recap 30 years.  We did  it right. We talked about our ailments,  relationships, kids and how time really does fly. We talked about small things, but it is the small things that seem to matter in the long run.

My  friend John is definitely one of the  true and loyal friends I can count on one hand. He spent approximately  $500.00 to come see me  for 6 hours.

A visit from the past, like talking and being with someone from beyond, true friends are a treasure. I am honored and privileged to have such a  true friend!


Although not a trip you could book through a travel agent, this was a trip that only two  true friends could appreciate, Costco deluxe Pizza, a bike ride with Obama Da dog and Whoppers-- life doesn't get much better.

http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/guest/always-treasure-life-s-true-friends/article_b7584a82-2fa0-11e3-ba43-001a4bcf887a.html

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared From Facebook...




15 comments:

Chester "Unc" Lau said...

Das what good old friends are,treasure every minute you can with him or her,shalom !!!bottoms up with kosher Manischewitz wine & Panda Express hone walnut chicken breasts

Harmony Bentosino said...

Glad you had a great visit!

Linda Gross said...

That's awesome !!! That's what life is all about !!

KimoRosen said...

Yes, I agree.. it's the small things that really count.

KimoRosen said...

Linda, you are welcome to guest-blog anytime should you ever want!

Rick Scoville said...

Jim, great blog. I know what you mean. I recently went to Nashville with my wife and was able to meet with my old roommates Charlie & Cindy who live in Louisville, for a few hours. We met for lunch at a place in between and had a great time catching up. I also was able to meet up with Marvin from Brooks on a trip to Portland a couple weeks ago. It is great to get caught up with old friends. Hopefully we will get a chance to get together soon.

KimoRosen said...

Rick sounds great, BTW I remember Charlie the butcher and Cindy and even marvin, so cool. Hope we meet up again in this lifetime, if your ever on Kaua'i or if i am ever in Southern Ca., we need to look each other up! as they say in Hawaii, (A Hui Hou) Until we meet again my friend!

Jean Bornell said...

via email;"next time DO NOT GIVE YOUR FRIENDS A HEAT ATTACK..."

Jean Bornell said...

NEXT TIME - MAKE YOUR vegan PIZZA AND vegan BURGERS / use hummus not MAYO - it is your HEART...

Jean Bornell said...

via email;"Of course I get it - you are stuck in stupid
and John is just as DUMB!"

KimoRosen said...

Per newspaper column;

· · Unfollow Post · Promote · Share
Deborah Morel, Rema Murphy and Bill Greenan like this.

Chester Lau Fantastique,mon ami
3 hours ago · Unlike · 1

Rema Murphy That is good news (pun intended)!!
3 hours ago · Unlike · 1

James Kimo Rosen http://thegardenisland.com/...
about an hour ago · Unlike · 1 · Remove Preview

Deborah Morel Sawasdee Kimo--what a great story. Happy that you were able to catch-up with your good friend. Treasured memories. I agree, it is the little things that count. And, your father's wisdom invaluable--true friends are worth their weight in gold.
30 minutes ago · Unlike · 1

James Kimo Rosen Mahalo-D
27 minutes ago · Like

Deborah Morel My pleasure!
14 minutes ago · Unlike · 1

KimoRosen said...

You and Ami Thea like this.

James Kimo Rosen Ami, my column is in the print edition but not online for some reason? If you see it online can you let me know? Aloha, kimo
9 hours ago · Like

Keith Haugen My Thanksgiving "joke:" Knock, knock! Who's there? Pele. Pelehu. Kolokolo, kolokolo.
7 hours ago · Unlike · 1

James Kimo Rosen LOL!
6 hours ago · Like

KimoRosen said...

There's no way this one can get negative feedback!
about an hour ago via mobile · Like

James Kimo Rosen guess again, here's an actual commment "TEACH COSTCO / BURGER KING how to NOT CAUSE DISEASE AMONG FRIENDS..."

KimoRosen said...

It's Kauai. You can't smile without someone saying you must have something evil on your mind. However, I enjoyed your article very much.
2 hours ago · Unlike · 2

James Kimo Rosen Mahalo Ami &Chuck!

Judith Whitehead said...

"yes, I find that true friends are timeless, you can pick up conversation after many years as though it were just yesterday"