Aloha!

I don’t know when I started saying “Aloha.”  I know it was long before I ever traveled to Hawaii.  For years, Hawaii intrigued me.  It ultimately became our honeymoon destination.  And Maui didn’t disappoint - fruit tasted like sunshine and spring rain in my mouth, rainbows graced the sky after a two-minute rain spell, whales danced off-shore, delighting us as we ate lunch.  Maui was natural beauty, in a way I had never observed before.

Our visit to Maui confirmed my strongly held opinion that “Aloha” was the best greeting.  “Aloha, this is Wendy” begins my voicemail.  Signs of “Aloha” adorn my home - above our kitchen door, above our front door, above our back door.  

I know that  “Aloha” can mean “hello” or “goodbye.”  But it’s more than that.  Aloha is a spirit, a feeling.  Aloha is a way of being, one I try to practice, one I wish onto others.

And like any good teacher, I went looking for more information.  A quick visit to the website “www.to-hawaii.com/aloha.php” provided me with some additional information.  The literal translation of aloha is the “breath of life.”  Aloha is a way of living, a practice of treating others with love and respect; the understanding that we must first begin by loving ourselves and then spreading that love to others.

The older I become, the more I realize I have very limited control over many things in my life.  I can’t control the price of gas, can’t control furlough days and pay cuts, and I can’t control the weather.  I can control how many scoops of ice cream I eat, the color of the flowers I plant on my patio, and the way I conduct myself with others.  So, I vow to do my best to spread the spirit of aloha, thinking good thoughts and sharing them with others.  

Aloha!