102
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105
No.
Eureka Moments
We had come to Kiawah on two previous occasions for family gatherings and both times we had marveled at how
beautiful Kiawah was. It seemed unspoiled by development. In fact, we had never seen a place where you could live so
close to nature, in such an intimate way. We liked the maritime forest, the views of the marsh, the ponds, and the beach.
We toured the island; driving up one road and down another – such fantastic houses in
such beautiful settings.
We wound up the day on Summer Islands Lane as the sun was about to set. We stopped to
look at one of the lots. We were heading back to the car when we spotted a pair of painted
buntings on the ground foraging in the weeds. We knew that painted buntings existed, in
fact we had seen a picture of the male on the cover of the First Edition of Birds of North
America: A Guide to Field Identification, but we didn’t realize that you could see them all
the time on Kiawah (in the proper season, of course).
“There’s a pleasure in being reminded of the value of ordinary life.”
Karen Thompson Walker
I had been hunting for months for my very favorite “thing” about Kiawah and suddenly it
appeared before me on the most ordinary of days in the most ordinary of ways. I was washing
dishes at my kitchen sink when I happened to look up for a second and spotted a tiny, cherubic,
round, Carolina wren dancing in and out of a hollow in the Carolina pine right in front of me.
Nothing out of the ordinary. A happy, busy little bird going about his business. But for me the sight was
anything but ordinary because I actually saw him, watched him, noticed him, knew him. In the good old
days (before we moved to Kiawah) – and they were good days – I would never have seen that little bird. I
was BUSY. I was racing to work, negotiating deals, arranging meetings, attending endless conferences, driving
carpool, fixing dinner, living. To be perfectly honest I probably could not have told the difference between a robin
and a crow. I most certainly did not have time in my busy life to notice either.
But on that ordinary morning I watched that Carolina wren and knew for certain that my eyes had changed – and
so had my head and my heart. I found so much joy in watching that sweet tiny creature and listening to the song
he sang without a thought about who might be listening. He had allowed me to move in next door and I had
found a way to keep him in his home so I could enjoy him as a neighbor. So much of me had changed in the
process of coming to Kiawah and I knew then that I had developed the ability to see all the thousands of miracles
occurring on this beautiful island every day. More than that I knew I would work to keep the miracles safe and
take the time to enjoy them.
- Shauneen Hutchinson
That was our eureka moment. It was an omen! A good omen! Now, we agreed, we
have to move to Kiawah – and we did, and it was the best of things!
- Mary Jane and Paul Roberts
103
No.
One of our favorite things is to go for a long
walk on Kiawah’s wide sandy beaches. The
scenery is magical and always produces great
photographs.
- Chad Slater
104
Number
Family and Memories
Kiawah is about families and memories. A
small child’s first encounter with the vast
ocean will likely be imprinted for a lifetime.
- Dianne Ladner