Precious memories
Helps to pass the time away
Nothing but fondness
My mind’s eye sees love
Living everyday with joy
Learning to live right
Life Affirming Haikus
Positive Thinking
Living the “Aloha Spirit”
Hawaii is unique in the sense that we really have a multi-cultural atmosphere; yes, every state and country has a melting pot culture as well but they’re not an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with nowhere to go.
We are so isolated that the essence of good and stable relationships is important for collective existence. We think of ourselves as one big community where we just find a way to live and work together. We “talk story”, share customs and meals and influence each other. We take what’s best from each other’s cultures and fuse them together to create this place.
The way we interact and treat one another is how the “Aloha Spirit” is spread. It’s like an expression of kindness, hospitality, spirituality, cooperativeness, humility, unity and graciousness all rolled into one that we share with others, whether it be family, friends, acquaintances or strangers.
Whether you grew up here or a transplant from somewhere far, this attitude becomes engrained in your psyche. It’s a part of our life; we treat everyone like family. If you come here for a visit, just stop and look around. You can’t miss it because it’s seen everywhere, every day.
It’s the person that lets you cut into their lane during gridlocked rush hour, the next door neighbor that gives you fruits from their backyard, the people that come out in droves for a bone marrow drive for a family’s child, the person pulling over to help a stranger with a stranded vehicle on the freeway, the lady that welcomes a stranger with open arms at a party and treats them like a long-time friend, the guy that informs a tourist where the choice spots to go surfing or fishing and what to avoid, the feeling of trying to go above and beyond to help someone in need while being courteous in the process.
I could go on and on and give tons of examples but you get the picture; being hospitable is in every corner of the world. I just wanted to give a brief light into what the “Aloha Spirit” was about. Being tasked with explaining it through a blog was quite difficult for me because it’s just a way of life here.
The “Aloha Spirit” is just spreading goodwill to everyone we meet; sharing a smile, helping out, being friendly, showing that we really care about you. So if you get a chance, it doesn’t matter where you were born or where you’re currently living…maybe you could help spread the “Aloha Spirit” and increase the positivity in the world.
Midlife Reflections #3
The past couple of days, I’ve pondered on my life’s journey and what it took to get me here today. It was a smooth ride that had numerous speed bumps and detours along the way.
I’ve had days when I hit the jackpot and everything went my way; even my mistakes and miscues resulted in a favorable outcome.
AND THEN there were those days where anything and everything went horribly wrong; where life put me in a loop and a series of jokes slapped me in the face one after another.
Regardless of what kind of day, week, month or year I had, I somehow survived; I lived to tell the tale and more often than not, I remembered in detail all of the good that I encountered.
Throughout all of my life’s experiences, I’ve come to the realization that sometimes my greatest memory can be my worst enemy. Relishing and reminiscing about all those happy times brought about a false sense of thinking; that everything would result in something wonderful.
It was good to have a positive outlook but I needed to embrace all the bad that happened in my life wholeheartedly. With every failed attempt I grew closer to success.
With much introspection, I’ve learned to value everything that crossed my path. It helped me to be strong, wise, compassionate, focused, determined and grateful. Life is way too short, so “Find the beauty in every moment” and bring out the best in yourself.
An Eternal Optimist
In the face of
insurmountable odds
and naysayers doubting
your ability
You have to have
faith,
passion,
know yourself
inside and out
Develop a keen foresight
and inner confidence
Have the drive
to fight and persevere
Knowing it will be enough
to overcome everything
Once you can do that,
a spark of hope
springs from an endless well
that leaves you with a sense of
unbridled enthusiasm
A beacon at the end of the tunnel
that will never dissipate
When you can truly feel this way
accept it as canon,
that’s when you know you’re
an eternal optimist.
When Your Dream Becomes Reality
When your dream becomes reality,
a sense of self-accomplishment,
unbridled joy,
boastful pride,
all come together
in one harmonious fashion
When your dream becomes reality,
the endless hard work,
excruciating trials,
never-ending tribulations,
were all the catalyst
in creating your character
When your dream becomes reality,
new found worries arise
trepidation,
dismay,
the fear of never achieving
another goal again
But you’ve been down this road
you never gave up
against all odds,
all naysayers,
you prevailed,
you believed in yourself
and in doing so
that is
When your dream becomes reality.
An Eternal Optimistic Kid In A Pessimistic World
Call it wishful thinking, call me a dreamer, or call it what you will but I am a certifiable optimist. Let me rephrase that, “I am an eternal optimist in a somewhat pessimistic world!”
In light of all the insurmountable odds stacked against me in whatever I’m undertaking, I always see an opportunity for the best thing to happen and hope for it to come to fruition.
That may sound like arrogance or being a bit too confident but I feel that it’s much better to be that way than to think negatively of the circumstance. Thinking of all the things that could go wrong tends to impede our progress and changes our mindset from a “can do” to a “can’t.”
I’d rather come from a place where I believe that it can happen or possibly could happen. Having a semblance of hope drives us to do our best. Just knowing that we have a chance to attain our dreams, get that job, be accepted into that prestigious college, whatever…makes us all the more enthusiastic.
There’s a bounce to our step, a gleam in our smile, a twinkle in our eyes that exude positivity. In our current time, we need to have a strong belief that some good will come from our hard work and efforts.
Granted not all things happen like we wish it to, in my case it’s a majority of the time, but it serves as a reminder that it’s better to try and fail than to do nothing. 
What drives me to be eternally optimistic is my internal fountain of hope; that gives me the sheer strength to endure. Just knowing that I won’t fail all the time is ammunition for me. If I just don’t give up and go that extra mile, maybe just maybe I’ll achieve my goal.
I try to have a kid’s outlook on life where everything’s attainable. Children are not jaded, children have no limits, children see a straight line to their goals. Unbridled optimism guides their path without regard for the chiming in of the adult’s skepticism.
We should all just make an attempt to stick with something and see through it till the end…who knows, it might be productive or we could’ve been on the cusp of attaining it. Regardless, our mindset will change and we’ll see the possibilities in our next endeavor.
Being optimistic is not everyone’s cup of tea, most of the people I know are more logical; they know when it’s time to call it quits and move on. I could do that but it just wouldn’t be me. So I’ll continue to be in this club of one and be that eternal optimist in a pessimistic world.
My 2nd Anniversary
I can’t believe it, just had to pinch myself. It’s officially been 2 years since I started this venture of blogging…didn’t think I’d last a year let alone two. It somehow feels more like 3 or 4 years but time really has a way of making things seem longer than what they really are. Nonetheless, I am plugging away and putting myself out there for others to stop by and peruse my musings.
I can honestly say that this truly was a journey, one that I was a bit skeptic at undertaking; it kind of felt like homework to me. One where I would be critiqued by not one, not two but countless of others who would find aspects of my work unappealing.
I hesitated for a moment thinking “Am I crazy?! I don’t need to deal with this!” But at my manager’s behest, and her unbridled positive enthusiasm, I decided to “Go for it!”
Even though my blog site is still a work in progress and I haven’t found a niche, I’ve found this venture to be both therapeutic and phenomenal.
I used to be afraid of what people would say about my writing style, my stories, my poems and even my rants and raves. Just putting myself out there without regard of what negative feedback I may get is somewhat liberating.
It’s as if this blog site was my personal diary; a place where I can let my inner voice run wild. A place where my ideas and feelings can paint a picture that was somehow hidden deep within my somnolent consciousness.
Every post written, every word chosen enabled me to create my art with unbridled pride and joy. AND sharing myself…giving some semblance of positivity, inspiration and insight into how I see the world is invigorating. I’m lucky to be able to do this of my own volition. I love what I’ve done so far and eagerly look forward to what I come up with on my next post.
Positively Positive Haikus
The sun shines brightly
Happiness engulfs me now
Time to spread the joy
To smile means to care
My love for you know no bounds
Always…Forever
Laughter of children
Innocence so refreshing
Dreams and hopes alive
Following your dreams
Your story is a journey
Inspire everyone
You’re a great writer
Send your work into the world
Set your stories free
The Three P’s
We all have tons of dreams
some big, some average, some small
Achieving them in our lifetime
is the common theme for us all
The map to our success
is following these three views
Learning them by heart
will help us avoid any miscues
Patience, Persistence & Perseverance
also known as “The Three P’s”
Commit them to one’s memory
is a MUST I do decree
Biding our time without complaint
having “Patience” is the key
The journey’s just beginning
in bringing our dreams to reality
“Persistence” will outlast talent
staying the course, when all else fails
We must get up after every fall
towards our dream we will prevail
In spite of all the difficulties
and the strong urge not to quit
“Perseverance” dictates our true passion
we’ll get there…bit by bit
So pursue your dreams to the ends of the earth
learn “The Three P’s” & follow through
You’ll reach your goals and then much more
of this I promise you.
Forever With You
A twinkling in your eyes I see
in the darkness of the night,
all hurt and pain has left me now
cause I’ve finally seen the light
I don’t know how I’ve gone this far
without really knowing you,
my life has suddenly taken a turn
everything seems so new
In your eyes I see a vision,
in my heart I know it’s true
this feeling that grows from deep within
is all because of you
You’re all that I’m longing for
You’re all my dreams come true
My life would be so complete
If I could spend forever with you
It’s amazing how love really works
it’s astonishing to see,
You, out of all the strangers in the world
that was truly meant for me
Love is purely magical
in each and every way,
If my heart had a mind of its own
this is what it’ll say:
“Do you believe in magic?
I hope you really do,
cause the love that stirs from deep within
is all because of you
No part of me will let you go
You’re all my dreams come true
My life would be so complete
If I could spend forever with you”
I believe in love because
it’s special and so true,
cause it found it’s place within my heart
and I owe it all to you
I’ll always be there, by your side
You’re all my dreams come true
My love will you let me spend –
Forever With You.
Midlife, Maniacal & Me 