Work, Hana Hou

-
Photo from Hawaiian Airlines magazine, August 1, 2024

When I started this blog, the idea was to focus almost entirely on life outside of work.  That was fine at first.  And there continue to be a lot of experiences that have very little or nothing to do with my "job."

Recently, I was offered the opportunity to stay long term in my career here in Waipahu.  I accepted.  In my line of work -- local church pastor -- this communicates something to others.  

Allow me to elaborate.  

Hawai`i is a holistic place and culture.  You can feel it in the precious natural environment that speaks to you, and gives you a feeling of inclusion no matter if you are at the beach or in the mountains.  

You can really feel the holistic culture in religious life.  People here generally don't divide their different parts of life.  Instead, they integrate.  

Religion at its best teaches this integration.  A good example is teaching honesty and transparency, such as being the same person you are at work, home, friendships, alone time, everywhere.

So being invited to stay long term, and accepting the offer, communicates something about Kari and I and our own integration.  It also is a symbol of being accepted by the local culture.

My life has been increasingly focused on my work.  This has been a blessing, as it has reverberations for my entire life in this holistic place.  In Hawaiian, hana means work or "to do."  Hana hou in this case means "repeat."  So much of my recent life has been work-hana hou-work. 

Another word for my work could be lawalawa, meaning "to serve, work for, minister to, tend, attend to, do, perform, serve, transact; to treat, as the sick; to wait, as on tables; to handle."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Review from Waipahu of "The White Lotus" (Season One)

-
Image
"The White Lotus" is a hit series on HBO/MAX, now in its third season.  After I moved to Waipahu, my kids asked if I’d seen season one.  Prior to their question, I had never heard of the show.   This tells you something about my ability to keep up with the times.  i.e. dinosaur So my wife and I turned on the series.  We plowed through all six episodes within a week. It was a well-done drama, perfectly cast.  It had an great script, soundtrack, and cinematography. It was filmed in Hawai`i, at an isolated upscale resort hotel.  I'm not sure of the exact location. The show had "almost" NOTHING to do with life in Waipahu.  At least how I've experienced life in Waipahu. Perhaps that was the point of the entire season one: To show how fake tourism can be from real life. I said “almost.” Colonialism One theme from the show was colonialism and its legacy..  It didn't take center stage, at least for the majority of season.  Instead, it was m...
Read more

Introduction

-
Image
A Year in Waipahu Most travel books and blogs focus on the bright and shiny places in this world.  Not this one.  You landed here instead.  Of course I enjoy the bright and shiny places, just as much as the next tourist.   But for my money, the best stories happen in the regular places of this world.  The neighbors who share their story, and maybe their food.  The kids who grow up in rather plain fashion but are destined to move mountains.  The local business owners who know everyone.   And then there are the regular buildings.  In towns with some history (and generations of families), the homes reflect a certain pride.  Houses are well kept but not ostentatious.  In these kinds of neighborhoods, people's homes are not for show but for lifestyle.   In these regular neighborhoods, community centers are centers of life.  They can be cultural centers, churches, temples, schools, you get the idea.  As Centers, they are us...
Read more

A Review from Waipahu of "The Pitt" (Season One)

-
Image
  If one can be "nostalgic" for Emergency Departments, that was certainly my reaction while watching the new hit series, The Pitt .  The feeling came as a welcome surprise, albeit unexpected.   While I have committed myself to the community of Waipahu for at least a year, I had just left working in a hospital setting in Michigan.  Much of my career has been in the health care field, and much of that was spent in Emergency Rooms.  So the show felt very relevant.   Noah Wylie   Since my role in health care was focused on holistic healing and staff working relationships, I paid close attention to those on the show.  Noah Wylie, the lead actor, was always a favorite from the (now ancient) television series, "ER."  In The Pitt, he does not disappoint.  His seasoned age brings out his excellent abilities to portray empathy, humility, teamwork, and positivity.  He reminded me of some of the attending physicians I was privileged to work wit...
Read more