Live Aloha...

The Spirit With in You…

It’s not that I feel different, but I do. I was raised in a loving family that had traditional values. Respect, love, honor, caring, I could go on, but you get my drift. All those words aren’t just words to me, they are built into me, apart of my life. It is the tick tock I hear each and every day.

We moved to Arizona in the late 80’s due to a promotion with Chevron. Every few years they would come out with a retirement package, people would leave, and vacant sales areas became available. Phoenix, why not?  So the wife and I and our young family left the safe haven of Hawaii and ventured to the desert. But that’s another story and not what I want to talk about.

My last trip to Hawaii (this past October) really made me homesick. The normal things sure, beach, food etc. all mattered, but the feeling of belonging was back. The feeling that this “is” home seemed to make its way into my brain. The family, the caring, the respect, the lifestyle, all seemed to hit home once again. I was in a safe place and it felt damn good.

I’m kidding myself if I think I’m moving home anytime soon. But these feelings have left a lasting impression on me since the visit. You see, to an extent, I have forgotten that very same spirit I have learned to love and live, while here in Arizona. As of late I have just been plugging along letting life take me where it wants, sort of like a leaf blowing in the wind. I have been a victim of the very thing that I have so long preached against.

We can all do a better job to carry this spirit in us each and every day. Family, respect, helping each other, a friendly smile, a kiss on the cheek or hug, letting others go first, helping our children learn life’s lessons, and on and on and on. Does this all sound familiar. These weren’t invented in Hawaii. And for the most part most places in the world adhere to these qualities. In fact every place can have these traits to live and grow with. You decide, I have.

So I have turned my head and coughed out loud to start a change, a change back to the old me. Hawaii is a special place, its culture and unique lifestyle is something to be desired. I have missed it and I have once again started to make my home in Arizona a little more Hawaii like. Call it the Aloha spirit if you like. Too many say they have it, but not enough actually are it. I want to be it! Today with a renewed energy, I will strive to “Live Aloha” in Arizona. Thanks for listening and may the good Lord bless you and yours.  Pete

Pictures can tell the whole story...

What happened to it all:

This past week I decided to start on a project I’ve been meaning to do for a long time. And that is to go thru the hundreds of black and white oldie photos that my parents and family took back in the day. These have been kept in a box for most of my adult and I have taken the challenge to copy each one, name, and put in a digital file on my computer. Now how modern is that.

These priceless photos paint a picture of love and happiness back in the day. I can only wonder about how things really were back then. Life seemed just more simple and less complicated. As I look at each photo I can really look through it and feel the love that was there. So here are a few from the past that I have chosen.

While digging through these photos I came across a shot of Honolulu with Diamond Head in the background. We didn’t have too many shots like this, the Hawaii before. For the most part the high risers were in Waikiki and downtown Honolulu. It looks like the photo was taken during the early 50’s from Punchbowl National Cemetary, where my Dad was buried. He was a lifer in the Army and served in North Africa, Italy and Korea. A man’s man. And from that cemetery you get a nice view of Honolulu and surrounding areas.

This past October, my wife and I went home to visit my mother in law and a son we haven’t seen in a few years. And there, we decided to visit my Dad’s grave where I took a few photos from the top of the mountain, almost the exact area that this 50’s picture was taken.

The difference is simply amazing, amazingly scary that is. The cement jungle has over grown the island. People build up, second and even third stories on top of their original home in an effort to accommodate and provide housing for families. And of course apartments and condos are the natural habitat in a situation like this. Coupled in with too much traffic and no room for new roads or highways, and you have a giant mess on your hands.

I’m not making any statements here to justify or put blame on what happened. I’m just saying that there is a lesson here for others to follow. The damage is done. Someone learn from this mistake. I just have a really bad feeling that as time comes and goes, so will each island, come and go.

But I remain hopeful, that things may change. Hawaii is still a beautiful place, and I enjoy myself each and every time I come home. There is no place like home, the tradition, the people, the aloha, (and of course the food), are always in my heart.

So I am glad at this point, that I have this project going on. I can reflect, think about the old days, my family and loved ones. Thanks for taking this short ride with me. Life is good for this ohana (family), and I hope it is so with yours. God Bless…

Note: pic 1 and 2: my sister and yours truly, pic 3: with mom, pic 4: mom and dad, pic 5: me, my sister and childhood friends, pic 6: Honolulu in the 50's, pic 7 & 8: taken this past October on vacation. Please click on the last two shots to give you an idea of just how much cement this island can hold... Aloha

A Drive worth taking...

Going Old School

Today Phoenix was drenched with clouds and cool weather. It is snowing up north and the weather here has dipped into the 60’s. A perfect day for a perfect drive. So where do I go, but to my favorite spot, due west on Olive to the White Tanks. I had some time to think and today I’m going old school.

***

It is possible to get too much of something?  I remember back in the day (60’s), all I had in my pocket growing up was 50cents, a stick of gum and maybe 4 or 5 marbles to shoot with. No computer, no cell phone, no radio, no life… or was it? (I used to walk to school too, and my kids don’t believe me).

Last night the wife and I went to the mall to just kill some time and enjoy the evening. It didn’t bother me that every other person was either talking or texting on their phone. It didn’t bother me that I was on the web walking around while my wife window shopped. It didn’t bother me when we decided to eat and we both instinctively put our phones within reach, just in case we got that call or needed to text someone. I swear, some people are like walking zombies with head sets on or walking textoids robots.

Well for some reason it bothers me today. It’s like I have my phone in one hand and my life in the other. What has become of me. What! I can’t go an entire two hours shopping with the wife without my phone in hand. She plays games, I surf the web, she has Groupon, I have forums, she has, I have, she has, I have… enough already. Just think about it. I mean really think. I did it before, can I do it again?

I remember when the first 5 lb. brick of a cell phone came out. I was a young sales rep with Chevron and couldn’t wait for my new toy. It was huge, with the antenna maybe 12 inches long. Hell, my first laptop probably weighed in at 10 lbs. That is when all this started. I was a changed man, changed forever and trapped in the tech world of gadgets and toys.

This week I bought the new Iphone 4s, it has a program called Siri that does your every beckoned command.  (It would be nice to finally be able to boss someone else around in my life, it hasn't worked at all with my wife). Well Siri has been having some problems of late not connecting to its server and is not working at 100%. This is driving me crazy, that I can’t tell it to dial a number, I can’t ask it to schedule an appointment, I can’t tell it to check the weather today. What it comes down to is, “I can’t get the information I need fast enough, I need it now”

This is what I’m talking about. I have become so used to having certain things in my life that made things easier to do like the cell phone, that I have forgotten a very important point in all this. That the personal element, that face to face contact will always out weigh the phone call or text message. What has happened to the personal side of life?

Once I gave Siri an order and I accidentally said “thank you”. Her (yes it’s a gals voice) response was “I don’t understand, please explain”. And that’s it. The whole pickle. It was a personal thing that the machine could not do or understand. A personal touch, a meaningful jesture, old school.

Now I’m not saying there is no place in today’s world for the super cell phone or notebook or computer tablet. I’m just saying to take a few minutes of your day and just be “old school”. Write a personal note, walk up that extra flight of stairs to say hello, should I say open that door for your women, okay I won’t J. 

This week I’m going to try to be a little more personal in the things I do, with those I come in contact with and especially with those I love. Thanks for listening.

Aloha,

Pete

A lesson learned the hard way

I’ve always had a basic curiosity about life in general. And to this point in time, I’ve learned a few things about life that has helped me along the way on this path I walk. Whether it has been experience (life) learned the hard way, or maybe it came fast and furious: lessons learned in these 60+ years have made quite an impact on me leaving its mark on my soul only to be called upon at any given moment to help, support and protect me and my loved ones.

So, I have survived what life has thrown at me, sometimes not by any effort on my part. And as I look back, I mean really back, I marvel at all the times I survived the situations. It’s amazing. It’s as if someone was watching over me. Helping, guiding, pointing the way. I remember the hurt, the pain, the tears, then, came relief, a solution, and happiness.

It’s funny how the end of the world is coming in our little lives until that one thing happens to turn or change the course it was on. Mad and upset one day, feeling better to being happy the next. And on, and on, and on, it goes. So here's is a simple yet direct story to prove my point. I hope you take this in the light it is given.

Life is beautiful, life is tough

Early on in our marriage we were a pretty tight knit little group, Mom (Donna), Dad (me) and the 3 kids were as close as could be, hugs and kisses galore. On this day, (our oldest was eight and the youngest three years), we found in Ahpo’s (Chinese for grandmother), backyard a rather large Monarch larvae feeding itself on the branch of an orchid plant. So being the nature lover I am and with a lesson in mind, we put the larvae in a large bottle with plenty to eat in the hopes that we could watch this beautiful insect evolve into a butterfly. We were all excited and we all took part to prepare its nest and find a place for it to grow. Every day for two weeks we visited and watched until one day it had spun itself into a cocoon at the top of the jar. Well, we were all hooked, line and sinker and re-dedicated ourselves to this butterfly.

By three weeks end, we saw movement and then it happened. It hatched. With excitement and leaps of joy we watched as she came out to stretch its wings. The children marveled at the beauty and colors. After ten minutes our oldest daughter was begging to let it go. So the kids watched in awe as Dad opened the lid and we all saw the butterfly begin to fly. This is where life kicks in. She was probably no more than ten feet from us in her first ever flight when a big old mynah bird swooped down and snatched that butterfly right in her beak. Our mouth’s dropped and shock set in. That’s right, someone had an early dinner on our account.

Shock, cries, sadness… it all happened. They (the kids) learned a little about life that day. Mom and Dad spent time with the kids to talk about what really happened and why, and although sad, it was a necessary thing to happen. They felt cheated and wondered why this had to happen

We all learned that even though you work hard in life, you can’t always expect good things to happen. We all learned that there has to be a balance to life. Good and bad. Happy and sad. Life and death. We all learned that if we experience life together as a family, we can overcome its trials and tribulations, together.

To this day we still talk about that butterfly, but only now we all share a little laugh realizing that there is a much bigger picture here than meets the eye. God bless.

Note: Top picture, kids on the exact same porch where this all took place.
          Color, Alex with Ahpo 2011

Abandoned, but not forgotten...

Taken with my older android phone but still given a great image. I love this contrasty setting which produced rich and vivid black and whites, fitting for the theme here. This series was taken at an abandoned property site that was closed down in 2002. Today has brought back new life in these buildings as a new owner is coming to the rescue to give each building a facelift with new trimmings and major property changes. Looks like some current photos are in order after the makeover.

A self portrait. The mood of this shot seemed inline with the above photos.

Note: I have presented these photos before, however I thought it would be fun to do a then and now comparison, probably in color to show new life.