I'm Going To Miss You, Treme

Treme, the drama on HBO about New Orleans after Katrina has ended. The last episode aired on December 29, 2013, but I only watched the last two about a week ago. I just couldn't let it go.

I fell in love with all these amazing characters and places and cultures. When I watched, I always thought about how I would feel living in NO and realized that on some levels, it would be like living in Hawaii. There is a very public version of the place that all the tourists come to and enjoy. But underneath all that there is the true soul and long history of the place that you might only know having been born and grown up there or maybe if you lived there for decades and truly opened yourself up in a humble manner to take it all in. Having grown up in Hawaii, I know I could never call myself a true "local" in a place like NO, even if I lived there for 25 years. There is something deep and spiritual in places like this that you can't just read about, show up for a few years and "know."

Treme made me miss living in Hawaii. I often wonder if I could move back home to live. When people ask me, I usually say "I could have a house there, but I couldn't live there full time." I think that is still true because while a deep part of my heart will always be in Hawaii, always, and my ashes will be scattered there someday far in the future, I am too restless to stay. I love LA, I love the bustle and the bigness and the always present opportunity to go somewhere (without the five extra hours from HNL to LAX).

But back to Treme. I'm going to miss you. I'm going to miss Big Chief Lambreaux and his hard commitment. I'm going to miss Antoine and his laid back style. I never got to eat at Desautel's or to meet Miss LaDonna and have a drink at Gigi's. I would like to.

So long Treme, I'm going to miss you!