aloha every day

aloha every day

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Dia de el Mayo

May Day is a fantastically huge event here in Hawai'i.  Although I've lived here for 5 years, today was my first May Day experience.  Here are photos from the event at my new school.
 
Conch shell blowers

   











Line-up by of royalty by island

 
The royal court 
  
The whole court
Kindergarten hula1st grade hula2nd grade hula4th grade hulaMaypoles!5th grade Maypoles!
The result of the maypole dance..beautiful weave
6th grade girls' hula
The Queen's hula

Awesome thing about Hawai'i?  Flower leis!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Aloha

Tonight I say aloha to one of my childhood friends.  She was killed in a car accident today in Albuquerque.  We haven't spoken in many years, although not out of malice.  We grew up together, sharing many a dance stage.  Today a man chose to rob a bank and speed away, hitting her car and killing her and her friend in the car.  She was out on a lunch run; just picking up lunch for her coworker...a normal, every-day event. 

Many, many emotions have overcome me.  First of all, life is too short (as cliche as that may sound) to not move forward in the directions of your dreams.  WHAT are we waiting for?  A long life is not guaranteed...

Second, America is sad.  People are in such states of desperation due to drug abuse, failed economy, etc that they are making decisions to do things like robbing banks and burglarizing homes.  And with what to show for it??   Words need not describe...

The other night I had the worst nightmare dream that I have ever had.  I dreamt that my brothers died.  In my dream we were not old, we were as we are now.  I woke up with the worst feeling...It was like my heart no longer existed.  I wanted so badly to hug them and I wondered why I don't call them every day just to tell them that I love them.  It made me so sad to live so far away from them.

I wonder...why do we hold grudges?  Why don't we live for the moment?  Why does it take such a tragedy to recognize what is important in our lives?  Have we conditioned ourselves with busy work past the point of reflection? 

May we all start to live with an awareness of life...of what it is today...right now...at this moment.

I am heartbroken, sad, sentimental...
 Here we are as kids...my friend who passed away is to my left...I'm sure you can find me...the smallest, scrawniest kid...