Managing with Aloha: Yes! You can too!

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Comments

[tim]

Rosa. Thank you for your manifesto. I came away with a strong sense of wanting to live in the "Keia manawa."

I also appreciate the greater depth of meaning that you reveal to us in "aloha." More than just a greeting...I was reminded how often I greet others with a "how's it going?" It's come to mean "hello" but if I took the question seriously it could open the door to better understanding those around me.

[Rosa]

Aloha Tim, and thank you so much for downloading and reading my manifesto. It helps me a great deal to learn of what people take away from it, and you are wonderful to share your mana‘o (thoughts and beliefs) with me in this way.

Kēia Manawa (in this present time) is one of my favorite mantras, and I wanted to give it a bit more attention. The kaona (hidden meaning) people will associate with it can be profound for them.

However it is your second comment that is very satisfying for me, for after I written my first draft of the manifesto I asked a few people to read it and let me know their first impressions. One gentleman urged me to talk more about aloha itself, for he felt it was so misunderstood globally. The two Hawaiian words most known in the world (or most felt they are known) are Aloha and our state’s name itself - Hawaii. Hearing his heart, I rewrote that section as he requested, and so I am very pleased to hear your mana‘o on it.

By the way, this is what the word, and place name Hawaii means:
Like Aloha, it helps to break it down. Ha is the breath of life. Wai is the word for fresh water. Ironically, when you live on islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, over two thousand miles from the nearest continent, fresh water is rare: You treasure all sources of fresh water and learn to conserve it. Therefore these two things, ha and wai, were considered the most precious sources of life in the ancient Hawaiian culture.

Many here in the islands, write Hawaii this way; Hawai‘i, for that last ‘i is important. The ‘i is considered a condition, a supreme state in which there is pono (rightness and balance) with these two greatest assets of life, our ha and the wai.

Therefore, the word Hawai‘i is actually a mission statement connected to our sense of place: we who live here must all have aloha and mālama (care for) the place we live if it in turn is to sustain us.

My aloha to you Tim, and thank you so much for continuing to share your comments with me here on Talking Story as part of our Ho‘ohana Community, I do appreciate the time and careful thought you take to do so.
Rosa

[Beth Robinson]

Rosa, I've got a new target market for you!
Last night at work (my new resort job), a guest came by to ask if I had a brochure explaining a plaque she'd noticed about "Commitment to Excellence" with some phrases in Hawaiian on it.
I responded by plugging your book. Turns out she's a fifth grade teacher from Washington (state) who fell in love with the island and plans to introduce Hawaiian values into her curriculum next year. She was thrilled with my suggestion and told me, "That's exactly what I'm trying to do, manage with aloha!"
Beth