“Aloha is not a word with a simple translation. It doesn’t mean just one thing. Aloha has several meanings. But it’s so much more than just a word.” (Joe Flanagan)
Here I am, back in Hawaïi, contemplating my 52nd blog, and in awe at all the changes that a year of ’living Aloha’ has wrought. Having returned to B.C. (kicking and screaming) in August after spending nine months on the Big Island, I was determined to finish my commitment in the place whose language and culture have had a powerful but ineffable effect on me, as it has had on so many people. This ineffable effect has been called, by some, the Aloha Spirit, and it permeates the islands like something organic, something intangible, something simply embedded in the land and embodied in its people.
To look more deeply into the many meanings of Aloha (from “hello” to “goodbye” to “I love you”, to name a few), I ordered the English-Hawaïian dictionary created by Mary Kawena Pukui with Samuel H. Elbert. Checking the fine print, I saw that it will arrive around Christmastime. Oops. So back to the internet I went, gravitating to what Joe Flanagan offers by way of explanation:
“…more than just a word, aloha is also a way of life. You may hear the phrase “spreading the aloha spirit.” What exactly does that mean? To answer that question, let’s break down the word into two parts.
“The Hawaiian word “alo” means “presence” or “share” and the word “ha” means “breath of life” or “essence of life.”
“So the word aloha is something that you experience, your interaction with life, passion, joy, something that’s present within you. But at the same time, it’s something that you share, something that is spread to those around you, sharing that energy and joy that is within you.”
By this definition, Aloha is not – or should not be – exclusive to the islands of Hawaïi. How often do we register, as our duty to humanity, this sharing of the energy, passion and joy that is within us? The degree to which we take this message seriously, that we pay forward our gratitude, share our passion and our happiness, is the degree to which we embody the spirit of Aloha.
By this logic, we are responsible for clearing away any obstacles to this exchange of positive energy or essence, this flow of love, compassion and understanding. To me, this means leading an examined life. Tracking my footprints, taking responsibility for the effects of my thoughts and actions and their impact on our planet. It is what inspired me to write a blog for fifty-two weeks. To use any words I might possess – or learn – to convey the meaning and spirit of living Aloha. And what did I learn in the nine months I spent living on the Big Island?
I learned to pace myself rather than rush around madly trying to tick off boxes created by my inner task master.
I learned to plant seedlings and stay in one place long enough to see them grow. To harvest arugula and tomatoes, and find homes for an over-abundance of basil and mint, for dozens of lemons and bananas, and the Breitenbach’s surplus mangoes (with permission, of course!) Not to mention learning to compost. The results of which are finally ready, I might add, to spread on the flower beds, though some of the straw etc from those fateful Christmas wreaths look suspiciously “composed”. Aka unchanged from their wreathing days.
I learned about the patience required to play a musical instrument and render the simplest version of “Over the Rainbow”. Badly. But I still dream of jam sessions down at the beach (or around a campfire at the bottom of the Grand Canyon – the location doesn’t matter) with far better players than me. The more the merrier.
I learned the importance of getting in touch with what matters, what gives my life purpose and meaning — sharing what I’ve gleaned from decades of studying yoga psychology, philosophy and spirituality in workshops and classes. Daring greatly, as Brené Brown would say, to offer my innermost thoughts in a weekly blog. Which brings me to…
MAHALO
The latter portion of this week’s blog is dedicated to thanking the people who have come on this journey with me. Like Aloha, the Hawaiian word for thank-you, Mahalo has more nuances than that of expressing gratitude; it is both a noun and a verb that convey admiration, regard, respect and esteem. Praise and appreciation.
I hold all of that and more for the people who have taught me, by walking their talk, how to be living examples of Hawaiian values and proponents of Hawaiian language and culture. Those who have created large-scale community initiatives like Mike Hodson’s (of WOW Tomatoes) Farming for the Working Class; medium-sized initiatives like Mattie Mae Larsen’s Upcycle Hawaïi; and smaller, individual efforts, like Sandy Littelfield’s “tiny houses”.
There are so many more people with whom I have interacted, shared joy and energy and passion and empathy while living briefly on the Big Island, and many more friends and family on the mainland who equally give my life its true heart and meaning.
Mahalo nui loa to you all, and to those who have been willing to explore, in their own quiet way, the topics I thought relevant to the theme of leading an examined life. Mere words cannot express my gratitude.
ʻO wau nō me ka mahalo. ― Respectfully yours, Janet