At What Cost?

It was a normal day in the hotel world. As I sat in the office, I answered every possible question, from those that were housed in the resort as well as those that had plans for a future stay. I sat and listened to every complaint, worry, and opinion of the current & future visitor. 

“Are you shutting down?”

“Are airlines flying out?”

“If we need to extend our stay due to canceled flights, can we get a distressed rate?”

“Can I get a refund?”

“Should I cancel my reservation or wait to see what happens?”

“This is ridiculous! I spent all this money and you’re telling me we have to leave early?”

THIS… was the beginning.

In March 2020, there was a virus that made itself known in the state of Hawai’i- one that was starting to evolve and one where every decision made was evolved around. 

As the days went by, our hotel occupancy dropped to eventually 0%. I sat in the office alone, clocking in to ghost town, day in/out…Throughout the pandemic, handling and filtering every call, being ears to those who just wanted to “vent”. I almost felt like I was their therapist! I heard cries of those who had saved their entire lives just for one trip to Hawaii, potential honeymooners (but wedding had to be postponed), questions about protests and the same people calling every month re-booking their reservation according to the anticipated reopening date. I’ve also received calls from the local community, with threats and harassments due to the unwelcomed reality tv show (understandably so).

I took lunch breaks poolside, where I heard nothing but the wind and at times, the birds. I constantly rehearsed lyrics in my mind … “the Lord is my Shepherd… He goes before me… defender behind me… I won’t fear…”

By the end of each day, I drove home in silence (yes, music was even turned off most of the time). What usually would have taken me 25-30 minutes to get home, took me 17-20 minutes. It was as if I was the only vehicle on the road, passing by empty business lots and seeing crowded driveways and streets of cars. My mind was bombarded by the words of every call, and it was hard to declutter. I tried my very best (failing at times) to make sure not to bring the outside chaos inside of my home. After all, up to what cost was I willing to give up my sanity for really…nothing?!

This, my friends, was how my job looked like in 2020. 

 

Last year, we were challenged with a task not everyone was equipped for. While the entire world was introduced to a new meaning of fear, every one of us learned something about ourselves. While masks were being enforced to cover, our hearts were being surfaced to expose what was really harboring. The word of God says “out of the heart, the mouth speaks.” People were being silenced. By covering the mouth, people couldn’t release what was in their hearts. Therefore, keeping it all in to consume every part of their spirit and soul…eventually, imploding!!

We’ve soon come to realize that we’ve become so dependent on the very things we easily took for granted on a daily basis. And when those things were stripped from us, our hearts revealed the worry, doubt, fear, past, anger, and anxiety in the uncertainty of our every day living. 

For some, they were also stripped of their comfort by being forced to stay away from the most important people who made them whole. For others, they were robbed of their chance to create memories (high school graduation, prom, etc.).

You see, there are 2 types of people. Those who have developed a multitude of gratitude and those who have created self-entitlement.

 

The state has lifted some restriction and we have seen a flood of visitors jump at the first opportunity to get here. Guess what type of people we are seeing…

Part II to come soon…