Hawai’i

Three words come to mind when thinking of Hawai’i: perfect, paradise, home. 

Perfect
Is Hawai’i perfect? It is a great place, a beautiful place, but clearly not perfect. There is crime, and drug abuse, and poverty. Any place with problems is obviously not perfect.

Paradise
Is Hawai’i paradise? It is often portrayed as such. But, No, it isn't. Paradise is the presence of God and Hawai’i now is no more in the presence of God than any other place on the planet. Besides, there is sickness and death in Hawai’i, and, despite the aloha spirit, there are bad attitudes as well – just ask any haole, pake, grunt, papolo, or potagee!

Home
Hawai’i may not be perfect or paradise, but is it home? Again, I have to say, No. “Home” is that city “which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” Besides, I have grandchildren and I need to be near them!

All this being said, Hawai’i is in a real sense home to me, the place where I’m from, the place that defined and shaped me like no other earthly place. I am Hawaiian in my heart. I fly the flag. Literally. And I will never forget where I’m from! Just listen to my heart.

And I wear aloha shirts all the time. Notice, I said aloha shirts, not Hawaiian shirts. That's what we call 'em. I've been wearing aloha shirts since I was Tiernan's age. No big deal, braddah: aloha shirt, shorts, zoris; all da time. By the way, zoris are what mainlanders call flip-flops.

I watch Magnum P.I. and (the original) Hawaii Five-O so I can see places I been. And Hawaii Five-0, despite it's obvious efforts to be 60's hip, shows more local flavor than Magnum. And did I mention that my sister was on an episode? I knew it but never saw it until this year. And she solved the case!! So cool. I'm almost a celebrity.

So, Hawai'i. Home. If only I could manage to get my ohana to move there!

Shhhhhaka braddah!