Jean and Abbott Kauai Vacation Blog » Daily Dose of Aloha

Kokua: That’s the Spirit

Shelah Jean Abubo — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:58:25 +0000

International Forgiveness Day was celebrated in over 80 countries in August – and that got me to thinking about kokua, the Hawaiian word for aid, assist, and cooperate. It also means “extending loving help to others without personal gain.”

Kokua is why William Porter is building Anaina Hou, an 18-hole miniature golf course in Kilauea to “give back” to the community, and offer our island youth more recreational outlets.

It’s why a lifeguard, a doctor, and the Kauai Rotary have privately funded and installed more than 65 “rescue tubes” at un-lifeguarded beaches around Kauai –tubes that have been responsible for numerous lives being saved.

It’s why volunteers help maintain the Kalalau Trail on the beautiful NaPali Coast, supplementing the efforts of State agencies—and why a group of local residents banded together last year to repair a washed-out road access to Polihale Beach – an estimated $4M job for free – rather than waiting for a public agency to do it.

It’s why two Hawaii-born women, Patti Chang and Denise Albano, started the “Feed the Hunger” foundation, to provide small business micro-loans to “unbankable” people who have good character but lack collateral. When one of their Hawaiian elders heard about their work, she said it could be summed up with one word: kokua. “Traditionally, it’s where those who have give to those who don’t—and when those people have, they in turn give back,” she said.

Kokua. An endless cycle of good. Another reason we’re lucky to live in Hawaii.

Daily Dose of Aloha: The Surfing Lifestyle

Shelah Jean Abubo — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:31:15 +0000

Hawai’i is home to Surfing, like most of you probably know! Surfing in Hawaii is more than a sport but rather is very much a lifestyle, with surfers arranging their work & family hours (YES, my husband very much included!!) to ensure they can always catch the best waves. The physical sport incorporates the mind, spirit and the body… and the ultimate in being pono (balanced)!

Any surfer will tell you they ride with the wave (nalu)… they go with the situation, not against it. It is important to remember that with each new situation life brings, the nalu is different. You will not always know what is coming, as with waves when they swell up behind you, so you must position your board as best you can… wait… then be ready to surf the nalu!

HE KA ‘E’A PULU ‘OLE NO KA HE’E NALU… An expert on the surfboard who does not get wet.

Daily Dose of Aloha: Love of the Ocean

Shelah Jean Abubo — Thu, 20 May 2010 01:12:05 +0000

The fun-loving lifestyle and happiness so well-known among Hawaiians is demonstrated in their love of water sports– which is why Hawaii is home to surfing! Even the Hawaiian Royal Family treated their Islands as a playground– the royal coconut grove in Waikiki was the place where the royals went surfing and outrigger canoeing!

“HO’OMOE WAI KAHI KE KAO’O” : Let’s all travel together like water flowing in one direction.

Live in Haramony with other people and the world around you– Live in Harmony with your own beliefs and aspiration– It takes a drop of Inspiration to start a river of dreams!

Daily Dose of Aloha: Love Gives Life Within

Shelah Jean Abubo — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:06:09 +0000

“Every aspect of Hawaiian life is full of spirit, based on the natural laws, with a great reverence for and understanding of nature. Since we understand spirituality to be non-linear and ever-present, the spirit of aloha and the spirit of our ancestors are a natural party of Hawaiian life. Aloha is not a mental concept or a rule, but rather a way of living life”.

-Maurizia Zanin, Kauai, Hawaii

UA OLA I KE ALOHA. “Love gives life within”.

Love is imperative to one’s mental, physical, emotional and spiritual welfare. A kind word can melt the hardest heart. Look at a situation with love, it changes everything.

Daily Dose of Aloha: Be Prepared

Shelah Jean Abubo — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:11:32 +0000

“I choose to take a giant step backwards from mankind. I will look behind me rather than in front. Like the navigators and way-finders of the old… you will know where you are going by where you have been. by taking care of the past, the past will take care of the future. In Hawaiian thinking, the seventh generation behind you has made what you are today, so it is important to focus on the future by thinking of the past.”

I KA MOANA NO KA I’A, LIULIU ‘IA NA PONO LAWAI’A. While the fish are still in the sea, get your gear ready. (Be Prepared).

Focus on what you want to achieve, then do everything possible to help achieve it. Look at the patterns of Life so as to know what is coming. Good luck happens to those who are ready for it.

-Clifford Nae’ole, Cultural Advisor, Maui, Hawaii

Daily Dose of Aloha: Strength and Grace

Shelah Jean Abubo — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:52:55 +0000

A true understanding of the strength and Grace behind the Hawaiians can be learned by taking a look at their ancestry. Thousands of years ago people among the Pacific nations migrated to inhabit the Hawaiian Islands in nothing more than carved outrigger canoes. They survived raging seas and were guided only by the stars and their intuition. They put their trust in nature. It remains one of the greatest feats of humankind.

You are in control of your life, be open to advice but trust in yourself to decide. We each have our own rhythm, learn to dance to yours.

“Aia No I Ka Mea E Mele Ana” Let the singer select the song.

Hawaiian Language Teacher, BYU

Daily Dose of Aloha: You Cannot Teach ‘Aloha’

Shelah Jean Abubo — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:44:11 +0000

“You cannot teach Aloha- it is a feeling that comes from deep within you, from the heart. Hawaiians are born with this Aloha, not the word ‘Aloha’, but the spiritual feeling or the mana that makes this word so special to us. It’s like going up to someone and greeting them with no exchange of words, just holding each other and letting your mana say it for you. This is the true spirit of Aloha.”

HE’ AI KULI KE ALOHA MAI NA KUPUNA MAI:

Love has had a deaf way of it’s own since the days of the ancestors.

-Ken Kamakea, Hawaiian Health Practitioner

Daily Dose of Aloha: Revelations Found in the Clouds

Shelah Jean Abubo — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:28:38 +0000

Be sure to look up at the sky often throughout each day and night. Hawai’i's ever changing landscape is matched by the kaleidoscope of colors in the heavens, from the morning sun to the clear days, and then the afternoon showers rolling in. As the islands are positioned in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, each island has a wet and dry side, and the differences are enormous– often from lush green tropics (on Kauai, this would be in the area of Hanalei and Haena) and waterfalls to pure deserts (on Kauai, this would be the west shore were we have Barking Sands and Polihale Beach Park). If you missed the magnificent sunset go and watch the moon rise! Or wait for the stars to appear. The islands provide one of the clearest views of the stars in the world.

Daily Dose of Aloha: Island Time

Shelah Jean Abubo — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:01:13 +0000

“On Hawaiian Time: I had a term I called Polynesian Paraylsis. It is the ability to simply be still and listen to your heartbeat, to stop and observe a beautiful rainbow or to watch the dolphins dance with the ocean. I would make this a priority over getting to a destination on time–the ability of observation, appreciation and relaxation. When I arrive at my destination… I’m much happier!”

-Clifford Nae’ole, Cultural Advisor, Maui, Hawai’i

Daily Dose of Aloha: Love of the Land

Shelah Jean Abubo — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:31:50 +0000

“The ‘aina (land) is where we go to get grounded. That is what we base our aloha ‘aina (love of the land) on. We manifest ourselves into everything that is physical and that is how we get back in tune with the spiritual. Humans are the only ones not in tune with it. Where I am standing and where you are standing IS our closest spiritual world. At the moment I am looking at the coastline, at coffee trees, mango trees, banana trees. This place that I love has been in the family for over 1000 years and these were all planted by my ancestors. It is recognized as the mana, the spiritual self, caring. What they nurture and I have gone into that realm. I know the trees are all alive– it nurtures me, my family, my children and whoever else.”

Anonymous, Native Hawaiian Guide, Island of Hawai’i

UA MAU KE EA O KA ‘AINA I KA PONO — The life of the land is preserved in righteousness.