Living Aloha

To help inspire Bay Area folks to travel to Hawaii, the Hawaii Visitors Bureau has funded a number of free Hawaiian concerts throughout March in San Francisco. Last Friday, I attended Brother Noland's show (because my friend Verge was playing) and was reminded of why Hawaii is such a unique place.

Prior to the show, we were all sitting upstairs nursing our drinks, when Brother Noland commented that in the end music will bring us all together--it has in the past and will carry us through the current cloud hanging over us all.

And it dawned on me that we all need to offer ourselves a dash of goodness, especially now, when the newspapers are filled with doom and gloom.

So when I looked around Gordon Biersch, I noticed that most of the people in the lofty restaurant were smiling--something you don't often see on the Muni or BART. And my Hawaiian friend Verge said, maybe we need to give people leis more often, reminding them that the Aloha Spirit can exist, even when we are not in Hawaii.

So here's my little call to you all: After reading the Sunday paper, or after not sleeping enough, or losing your job, or, heck, after a crappy day at the office, even if you can't afford a trip to the islands, allow yourself to honor the aloha spirit for a few minutes each day. Basically--be nice to yourself, listen to Hawaiian music, and treat yourself to a lei from a local flower shop. Your psyche will thank you.