Ola kakou ... Thrive everybody!

Yesterday's post fed on the deliciousness of small fluffy seeds and the magic of being open to new interpretations of life. Watering those seeds through attentiveness brought: a new reader, a comment, and more reasons to believe in the bigness of being alive.

Unexpected consequences are replacing,at least temporarily, and with continued application the lightning quick change-up could lift and reposition us humans ... into a more reciprocal relating, conversation.

"i heard the canals in Venice have cleared up since boats and people have stopped f**cking 'em up."
"i read a poem that begins The sky over Wuhan are blue again. The brown clouds of fumes have sailed away on the breeze."
"it feels like everyone just looked up from what they were doing and noticed the rest of the world."
"Conversation maintains community; and community, to me, is everything."

I am awake at midnight, awake to the churning doing on inside. My guts are processing so many new ways. That 'fixed and retentive' nature of mine is getting tuned up. I am an old doggie learning new tricks. I am being tinctured.

While Pete and I spent time in our seventy square feet of wagon space, he read the final chapters of the wonderful storytelling of Lisa See. I sat and wrote, sat and researched the next post. This post.

Two new emails showed up, both of them from my home islands:

First this from Aloha Lives Here:

Aloha, Mokihana—

"Just minutes before our friends at Hui Aloha went live on Facebook with a press conference at Waimanalo Beach Park, Mayor Caldwell announced that the City will be re-opening park bathrooms.
But we're not declaring victory yet.
We are happy to get this news that the Mayor will re-open park bathrooms, but we are waiting to hear what the timeline on opening them is.
We also want to know what a comprehensive plan for supporting our houseless neighbors in the midst of this unprecedented health crisis will look like. Already, the City has opened some comfort stations in parks. But in order to be effective, they need to be open for more than a few hours a day—and most likely, as much as 24 hours a day.."

When Pete and I last lived on O'ahu, in 2007, we lived in "Scout" our Subaru. That's a story I tell over and over. It's an important reminder for us when we forget how much seventy square feet is. The email from the 'ohana of volunteers that is Aloha Lives Here informs me that my involvement by signing a petition to re-open park bathrooms on O'ahu is making a difference. Why keep involved with an issue on that island?  Good question.

When Pete and I last lived on O'ahu it was one of the Waimanalo Beach parks, in particular, that was our pu'uhonua, our place of refuge and place to refresh ourselves after living rough, living a night sleeping in our car. Less rough than many. More rough than many others. We relate to the reality of having no access to 'essential services' and feel the pressure of being denied ola.


But really the bigger question is: Why do park bathrooms vital to our houseless neighbors anywhere need to be closed?

The second email was from Malia Nobrega-Olivera of Kanaeokana. 

From Kanaeokana's website, [their goals and intentions]: "Growing and nurturing generations of aloha ʻāina leaders

"Considering mission-aligned focuses and community needs, Kanaeokana participants identified work strands to bring to fruition their strategic collaboration goals. Participants engage in kōmike (committees) that resonate with their needs and interests as well as the skills and resources they can share to move the work forward."

From the seventy square feet of our wagon, Pete and I were beckoned by the message in my inbox. The glowing faces and voices of Malia Nobrega-Olivera and Kainani Kahaunaele invited us into the evolving world of Hawaiians, now.

I am an old woman with roots of Hawaii entwined in me, body, mind and spirit. The challenges of my body keep me here, on this island separated by ocean. There are issues, and beliefs that separate me from physically being 'back there' ... but CULTURE is a living, growing being. Full of life, and determined to thrive. There is room thanks to technology, and we nod our head in amazement.

From these seventy square feet of wagon, we were transported by the patience and beauty of leo, the voices.With my five-chord facility on the 'ukulele play along with Kainani. Listening and learning the mana'o the motivations behind the mele Kainani's passion for the work she does transfers. I am tinctured by the action. My voice cracked in effort to reach the high notes. But no worry. A'ole pilikia. Ola Kakou.

In the time of The Virus, 2020, my Hawaiian culture found me, and Pete, in a small golden wagon on an island separated by ocean. Ocean where live begins. Between here and there, and whether here or there Ola Kakou. Thrive everybody!

Three hours later this post is pau. Outside the temperature has dropped to near freezing. No wonder my bare feet are cold. The warm bed and warm old man beckon.There are probably errors needing edits, but I'll leave them as evidence (I'm a human:)

Take care kakou. Mokihana


P.S. Be patient with the YouTube "Lei Anuenue." It truly was a first, a maiden journey to explore and share and all involved were learning. Move the time bar thingy along until you see some action on the screen. Then, press the arrow again.Hope you enjoy.