Should I chuck it all and pick up and move to Oahu?

I moved cross-country with more ties to where I was and for less reason, and it’s worked out great.

Just pack up and leave already!

And then start your own new community theater…in Honolulu. There must be plenty of talented amateur actors there just hoping for a talented director to land in their midst.

YES. I moved around the world I’m still having difficulties but it’s better.MOVE already

you’ll be happier.

My vote is move. You can always move back. You sound like you want to go.

You expressed 4 elements that appear to be driving forces in your life. Your daughters,this community theater, that your single and on SSDI. Moving you would be leaving your daughters and this theater behind…those sound pretty significant at least to me they would be big reasons not to move. Something happened at this theater that is providing impetus for you to move. Not knowing if it is cheaper to live with more resources and more single men on Oahu, it is hard for me to better evaluate just how life would be better for you there away from your family. If there is a better theater community, more dudes, more resources, and your dollar goes farther and the fact we now have Skype….it would be a no brainer for me. If it is not so clear cut I might re-examine this theater issue and see how it might be rectified and made whole again.

Some points to ponder.
Would you be using this move as a chance to reboot – like doing a life Ctrl+Alt+Del?
How often do you see your daughters now?
Are cheap, easy island hoppers available? (About 15 years ago they were.)

Sounds like you’re ready to move. This allows you to do so in a manner that will make it less stressful and more managed, maybe a month after school gets out.

Would your 16 y.o. be going with you? At that age it is sometimes difficult to be uprooted and moved to a new high school in your jr or sr year especially when you have grown up with the other kids.
Just throwing that out there. If she is staying, you have a little more leeway since you only have to worry about your own feelings.

Why not? Seriously. Write it down. Then write down why you should go. I’ll bet you have your answer before the exercise is over.

I’d say move! It’s never too late for a re-boot, just save the programs and applications you need and want, if you know what I mean.

Can’t see why not. Will the 16-year-old come with? If yes, then get packing baybee!!

a change will do you good
I said a change – a change will do you good

Is your current feeling partly arising out of a feeling of pique at events in the theatre group? A move might make more sense when the 16 year old graduates or if you definitely get the job. But do it if that’s what you want; just examine all the factors. (And if you find some straight single guys, I’ll move there with you.)

Can I move with you? lol
Go for it!
I too am ready for an extreme change again.
Change is an equal opportunity employer, may be bad but may be good as well, you won’t know for certain until you do it.

Sometimes, any change is better than stagnation.
Lots of positives, new community, now home to fix up, new scenery, new people, I vote YES!

Jake; How about costs and conveniences of finding a new domicile, friends, community that pleases you, and other job opportunities if this one falls through. Is it cheaper or more expensive to live in Honolulu vs. Big Island?

Thank you, all, for your answers.

My 16-year-old daughter would be staying here with her mother, and she’s the one who is excited about my prospects for getting a job anyway and moving. This would just speed things up. My 18-year-old daughter who’s graduating and moving to school on the East Coast is the one who doesn’t want me to move, so she says and whimpers. I think the idea of her home base changing scares her when she’s getting ready to make such a big change in her own life.

I’m a member of the governing board of the community theatre here on the Big Island, and the board meetings have grown contentious and mean-spirited over the last year or two. We’ve had some very successful shows, and an air of unhealthy jealousy pervades the group dynamic. There was a nasty email exchange recently, and when I sat down and looked at the events calmly, I realized that being in this group is not serving my highest good. It’s no longer feeding me creatively. It’s draining me instead in an unhealthy way.

Here’s a kicker. I am scheduled to direct our summer Shakespeare in the Park production this summer. That was decided last year before I applied for the good job with the state on Oahu. Because of the uncertain job situation, I have assembled a top-notch production team including a terrific assistant director, who all know I’m in the running for a job and may move at a moment’s notice. They can all step in and do this production without me. They’re good. They’ll even follow my artistic vision for the show. Moving now means I would hand over my show. I’m very much at peace with this idea.

There are some cons to moving right away. I can’t afford to move all my things until I have a steady job, so I would have the expense of putting things in storage here. I would have to ship my car. If I were to wait to get the very good job with the state, I would sell this car and buy something newer on Oahu. The biggest expense is housing. Oahu is much more expensive than the Big Island. I would have to seriously rearrange my budget to reflect that difference. I would initially be able to rent a room from friends, but I haven’t had an apartment-mate other than a spouse in decades, and such an arrangement worries me.

There’s more information for you all to consider. At this point, I’m toying with the idea of a quicker move than I was first envisioning. I could just give notice to my landlord, throw my things in storage, ship my car, and hop a plane. It’s not the safe thing to do, but it’s exciting to think about.

If all your commitments are taken care of, why be safe? I still say make the move.

It is a move that sounds like it is for you to grow. The PODS storage maybe a good way to store and then ship to Honolulu or where you move to on Oahu.

You will never be more peppy and energetic than you are today. Five years from now you might be too pooped to pop.

Your older daughter might be whimpering now but in 5 months, she will be in or near The Big Apple (or in Ithaca); gradually her home base will become less and less important. You have my permission to make a selfish decision now.

How exciting! Based on everything you’ve talked about so far, it seems like there is nothing holding you back, so long as you get the job. I am wondering though, why you need to ship your car. Why not simply sell it and buy another when you get there? Unless you’re attached to it for sentimental reasons?

@downtide I would only ship the car if I decide to move to Oahu before the details of the job with the state are completely finalized. I can’t presently afford to buy a newer car until I get that job. My prospects for getting that job are excellent. The man who retired from the position and is highly regarded wants me to get his old job. He is a strong professional reference. I have other reasons to believe that I have an excellent chance to get the job. People who are in the know have given me good words.

Still, I could easily sell the car I have now and live without one for a bit. They have good public transportation on Oahu. The buses go everywhere.

That’s even more to think about. Hm. It’s a puzzle.

Just from a locality stand point I would never want to live in Oahu. Honolulu is as bad as downtown L.A.

How about Maui? Anything you can do there? Personally, I really like the big island.

IMO, where you live is more important than where you work. You might have less opportunity, but you get to live where you choose.

Is Honolulu worth it? It wouldn’t be for me.

Surprisingly, my 16-year-old daughter who has been enthusiastic about my job prospects on Oahu has nixed the idea of moving early. She wants me to wait until the job is more certain. I want to make her happy.

It’s just more waiting. I can do that.

@SwanSwanHummingbird I’m moving to Oahu. It’s a question of when not if.

(Thought a 16 year old might want Dad close to home.). Hope you are not disappointed and that the job comes through soon.

Business is business. Go where the work is available. But don’t move until you’ve been given a job offer that you like.

If anyone is still following this question, I thought this important update might be nice to post.

I sat down again with my daughters this afternoon and discussed my idea of moving to Oahu before my state job is assured. I told them I’m looking at moving by June 1 after the current school year has finished.

I explained my reason. Being on Oahu will make my candidacy for the state job more attractive. I would be on the island and ready to start.

My younger daughter whose objection caused me to nix the idea of just picking up and moving told me to go for it. What she actually said was that if I really believed moving would help me get the job I want, then I should do it.

There is something about the mindset of people here in Hawaii that few outsiders know about. The state is very Oahu-centric. Everything revolves around what occurs on Oahu. All the money gets filtered through there for everything. People who live on Oahu rarely think of what’s happening on the Neighbor Islands, as we’re known. When it comes to hiring, jobs go to people living on Oahu first.

I will inform the hiring authority for the state job I’ve applied for that I’m taking steps to move there regardless of what they do. I know this will affect their view of me. It will not affect the amount of time it will take them to get around to hiring someone for the position, but it will reflect well on my prospects.

Sounds like a good plan then, very exciting and that you handled it well with your daughters.

Exciting!

Mazel tov!

@Hawaii_Jake good news! Keep us updated.

@Hawaii_Jake: If the job involves lots of clear and clean wriiting, you’ve got it.

Thank you, all, for your support. I appreciate it.

Today, I am awash with all the fears associated with uprooting myself. Isn’t life grand? I love how emotions work or don’t work.

@Hawaii_Jake I get crazy anxious when starting something new so I can totally empathize. Keep turning to us for support.

@Hawaii_Jake I can empathasize. I hope the happy outweighs the anxiety.

Here’s more fodder: I’m beset by people who think it’s a bad idea for me to give up the current situation I have to move to Oahu.

I give up.

I surrender.

I am going to quietly continue my campaign to get this very good job. I’m also going to quietly start exploring my options for moving.

I am no longer going to keep saying I’m definitely moving.

Let’s see how things work out.

For you Good luck and do what is right for you, not for anyone else.

@Hawaii_Jake Sometimes it is a good idea to work in “Stealth Mode”. Detractors can’t detract and you don’t need to justify every move to the curious. Only get others involved if they can help you.
Most people don’t like change – especially if that change occurs in another.

If any are still following this old thread, here’s the result.

I got the good job with the state of Hawaii. I now work for Hawaii’s Dept. of Health, running a small office. I train consumers of mental health care to work with their peers modeling life and recovery skills. I also plan an annual conference for consumers. I’m busy now implementing a few new programs that were left languishing for the 19 months my position sat vacant. (I wasn’t kidding when I said the state moves glacially.)

I moved to Oahu 2 months ago. A good friend moved here 2 years ago, and she got lucky and found a lovely townhouse on a little street tucked away in a decent neighborhood. It’s in a building with 5 units, and all are owned by the same man. They had an opening, and I got lucky and got it. It’s a charming corner townhouse, so it has ample windows. I’m in heaven. I feel very much at home. I was able to decorate it to my taste, using art I shipped from my house on the Big Island.

I have just today sent out messages to the large community theatre groups here in Honolulu, and I hope to hear from them. I hope to make friends there. I don’t have many here yet, but it’s still early days. I’m not worried.

I managed to rather quickly gather an excellent medical support group. I asked some people in the know where I work for recommendations, and I got the best of the best. I have a superb psychiatrist, an excellent psychologist, a great dentist, and a good eye doctor. I found a regular doctor last; it took some searching. He’s Japanese, and his whole office speaks Japanese. Since mine is rusty, I enjoy it. It exercises my brain to speak Japanese again.

I am greatly enjoying my new life.

Congratulations!! I’m so glad it worked out so well.

Thank you.