David and I have visited Hawai’i several times. It is one of our favorite places and somewhere I would enjoy making my home. I learned a lot on our trips to Hawai’i, including that the rainbows for which it is famous are possible only because, you guessed it, it rains a lot, daily it seems. In contrast to my home state of Florida, when it rains in Hawai’i, most people don’t seem to mind. In fact, I saw few people using umbrellas when it rained. The Hawai’ians take the rain in stride. They get wet and they know the rain won’t last forever. Pretty soon, it will stop and a rainbow will appear. Maybe they know an umbrella would ruin their view of the rainbows, waves, or other natural beauty that surrounds them. David and I enjoy listening to Hawai’ian music. One of my favorite Hawai’ian songs was written by Wade Cambern and performed by the Hawai’ian Style Band. The song’s title is “Live A Little” and it contains lyrics full of good advice:
Don’t worry if the tide goes out
Don’t worry if the sun goes down
Don’t worry if you get caught in the rainThe song advises the listener to “Show aloha to a friend.” For the reader who doesn’t know what it means to “show aloha,” this phrase means be nice, help others, and make the world a better place as you go through life. And, whatever you do, live a little. If it is not possible to live a little, Hawai’ian style, then live a little in whatever style enriches your life, as well as the lives of the people you encounter. And, for a long lasting smile, I encourage you to listen to this song. Live a little!
Living a little is a concept some people don’t appreciate until it is too late. The ability to live a little is probably one of the primary reasons Melissa and I enjoy owning our own company. We frequently build a little “living” into our “working.” Very often, this involves exploring a venue where we are working, taking time to “smell the roses.” Or, more likely, visit landmarks, enjoy unique foods, taste wines, explore a park, go to a baseball game or concert. You get the idea. Even trips that have little time for fun can be enhanced with just little effort. More than ever, it is possible to research local restaurants and things to do – the power is at our fingertips. Our work is deadly serious, sometimes the cases involve death; breaking the tension of the pressures of works is a means to balance life with the demands of work. In what will probably be one of the best experiences in our lifetimes, spending a month in Hawai’i allowed us to absorb a bit of the lifestyle, especially since we are the type to get beyond the tourist destinations. Adding a Hawai’ian playlist was part of that immersion such that learning about Hawai’ian artists and musical styles gave us a deeper appreciation of life in those islands. Saving “living life” for when the kids graduate or after retirement may be too late. Unfortunately, we know this is true in the case of some of our friends. There is nothing shameful of taking opportunities when they are there to be taken. As Melissa said, “Live a little”!
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