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Tuesday, March 23, 2010

I love Hawaii and this is why.....

In Japan, I have found and forged a new, happy and very healthy life path for myself. But it was in Hawaii that it really started to all come together. I recently have been researching, within my own life experience, how to live a happy and successful life. How to live a life filled with abundance in comfort, peace, finances, feeling good/health, harmony in my marriage and with parenting.

One thing I learned on my recent vacation in Hawaii, is the deep importance of staying positive. I have always known this. Everyone knows it is good to keep a positive mental attitude (PMA as Zig Ziglar calls it). It is common sense! If you approach a project, a business, a relationship, the start of your day with a crappy attitude, it 'aint no secret that you might not get stellar results. But if you hold a positive, motivated and spirited approach it logically is much easier to win that gold medal or earn that big bonus, things seem to just unfold in your favor, opportunities fall in your lap. This is nowadays almost everyone's common sense. (It still takes SOME people a little longer to learn this than others, but hey gotta love each person's path!) But the drama of this whole idea, for me, now lies in the most tiny, simple aspects of life to the most huge and dramatic experiences. Example: it really sunk in for me that having a PMA in a teencie weencie, nonchalant conversation or avoiding that small roll of the eyes while in bad traffic, and not indulging people who you may come into contact with when they start to complain, insult others, or point out negative things about .....anything or everything! More detailed example: I spoke with many military wives while being in Hawaii. My husband and I might get the chance to live in Oahu some day, I wanted to get the dirt of what kind of experience it was to live there. And even in a place who many call paradise, I got the same response as anywhere else you might live in the world from Toledo, Ohio to Maui......good and bad things. And so I realized, even in Hawaii (a place that holds claim to perfect temperatures, beaches, palm trees and amazing fruits and flowers, among other niceties) I was told a resounding, this sucks, that sucks, crime here, bad schools there, locals hate visitors, these people hate the military presence here, etc. etc. Hate, hate, danger, violence, bad traffic, locals, tourists, hippies, haters, labelers, etc. etc! I realized after talking to a VERY positive, refreshing and lovely young lady one day on a park bench that even in Hawaii, the location where one finds oneself is: what YOU MAKE OF IT. Sure, I would much prefer the weather and beaches of Hawaii than being stationed at an Army base in say, Alaska, Kansas or upstate New York. BUT I know I would find the positive no matter where I go.

And in talking with people, I have found, there is almost ZERO need to point out anything negative ever again, really! It is not JUST in your money situations or health, the really big issues that you need to exercise PMA alone. It is more so in the tiny, slight, regular, all day long experiences and conversations about nothing that it is most important to be graceful, pleasant, positive, happy and kind. Then those bigger hurdles will all of a sudden be much easier to accomplish! Yay! Sure, if my daughter is sick, I am going to mention it if my Mom asks me "how are you doing today?" But I am not going to drone on and on and facebook and tweet about it to everyone I know! If you do not complain about that bad traffic, you might just get an opportunity to get off at an easier exit or a more pleasant road or pathway will find its way to you. But if you worry incessantly about the traffic, the people around you, what they are thinking, the schedules, the money, the health concerns, the appearance of your body, the mess in your home, whatever, you can bet yourself that you are going to have an exhausting and annoying, rather sad life in every aspect.

So I appreciate each and every person I spoke with and conversation I had while in Hawaii. It made me decide to be a better, more positive Army wife (after much contemplation and complaining on my part, I will admit it) and a better, more positive person to be around! You are welcome, world! One less "misery loves company" complainer to listen to!!

I also stopped by this enchanting little art and local goods stand on the side of the road. If you go to Oahu, it was on the main road that travels through the north shore, Kam Highway. I had been shopping around and pricing some traditional Hawaiian masks. I saw some way, way over priced ones, though beautifully crafted, just not what I wanted exactly and I saw some cheesy, poor quality ones as well. And as my Mother-in-law was driving me and my daughter around showing us her former home territory, I saw this stand. I yelled, "stop! I wanna get my mask!" She kindly pulled over, and I talked with my awesome mask carver artist about the wood he uses and the meanings of the different masks. I came home with my personalized Hawaiian mask representing safety for the family and the home...I thought this was a smart choice seeing as how my husband is in the Armed Forces, we travel a ton and what not. I love my mask. But I think even more than my mask, I loved talking with the two beautiful ladies at their booth next to the man who made the masks.


As the mask artist Pila was carving my name and his into my mask, I got to talk to Ilaise and Ana Tekiata. I had an intuition that people would want to know how to find these ladies and the mask maker and acquire the great local stuff for themselves as well, all that I was lucky enough to be given this day. And I was right! I already have many friends asking me for their necklaces and masks. I am so glad we swapped information. I will have their contact info at the bottom of this blog and you can find them through their address, e-mail or phone numbers. These ladies were so kind to pose for pictures for me, talk with me and then they gave me free gifts of their awesome goods and work! I got a rose bouquet woven by their own hands, a necklace and a sea turtle key chain. These gifts were really meaningful to me. My Mom had mentioned the luck sea turtles bring and I wanted to get her one, and they gave me a Hawaiian sea turtle key chain for her. They gave me these things! I promised to promote them.

Every thing at this stand was beautiful, from my masks and the carved wood, to the necklace that my daughter loved and mostly the conversation and connection!! I am focusing on the positive I found in Hawaii. It all came together for me there. That's why I love travel. Stepping away from your day to day, usual life always teaches you something and offers a fresh perspective.



ILAISE & ANA TEKIATA
ouaaa@aol.com
55-170 Kam Hwy
Laie, HI 96762
(808)294-0356
(808)699-9424 Mobile