32……………27…………….5…………….three strategic and story-telling numbers that I’m extremely proud of and make me smile from sea to shining sea.

I could never have imagined that 32 years ago when I officiated my first school-ball basketball game that I would STILL be galloping up and down the hardwood with ample experience and less speed. Think about that. How many games have I called? How many miles have I run? How many times have I been cursed at and called horrible, blind and incompetent? Shoot – I should have kept a diary and published it.

Try running with a whistle in your mouth. Try, in the heat of Friday-night hysteria, explaining the “over-and-back” rule to an irate coach who hasn’t read the rule book. Gotta be thick-skinned to survive in this industry. Also helps to be thick-headed. Everybody has an opinion. Refs get paid.

I could have never imagined that 27 years ago when I started a self-imposed fast with fast food that I would STILL have a clean sheet on drive-thru and walk-in quickie-meal dining. Think about that. For more than 324 months I have shunned the “Bigs” in the fast-food monolith with passion and purpose. Where’s the beef? Not on some bland bun in my gut washed down with a high-fructose refill.

Many of my contemporaries have said that my menu manipulation coincides with the accomplishments in the paragraphs directly above this one. Totally agree. Fresh beats fried. Greens over grease. Salmon never disappoints.

I could have never imagined 5 years ago when I worked my first day for Aqualani Beach & Ocean Recreation at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa that I would STILL be carrying out Pool Attendant duties on iconic Kaanapali Beach. But here I am – these days working at the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa in the shadow of Pu’u Keka’a (Black Rock). Think about this. During some shifts the combined ages of three teammates is still LESS than my age. Holding my own against these Tik Tokers keeps me motivated and hungry.

I plan on working deep into 2025 but nothing is promised. My favorite part of any pool patrol is when Sheraton lounge lizards look at me and think “what is HE doing here?” I’ve had lots of colorful conversations to answer that question and then proudly demonstrate how I’ve earned my pool-deck minutes. Retirement is a dirty word.