The Aloha Spirit

No shoes. No Shirt. No problem. Evidently, this is the island's creed and I –with unabashed, child-like wonder, stare at the native nakedness each time. Perhaps it’s the prosaic Puritan within me that demands conventional clothing; regardless, I have never commiserated more with the modest Mennonite mafia: 

Today, while waiting to conclude my transaction at Costco, I espied a perfectly well dressed father purchasing bushels of Guavas, sufficient to feed a small country….completely barefooted. Aside from eschewing tradition, consider the sanitary implications for this gentleman: Costco’s flooring could hardly be mistaken for Nordstrom’s. Foul. Foul. Foul. Remarkably, he was accompanied by his very civizilized- looking, beautiful wife, who apparently is far more open-minded than me.  Just as I suspected, this barefooted gentleman drove away in the ubiquitous Lexus SUV,  sporting a vanity plate with a cryptic message decrying foreign conflicts, corporate America and carnivores.  

Now as to his beautiful wife. She also, is not a cultural novelty. Lovely and sensual-looking women are as prolific in Oahu as Hawaiian Leis and –arguably- a more preferable keepsake. In some respects, Hawaii is just as I envisioned it after viewing the docudrama, Saved By the Bell: Hawaiian Style (circa 1992). And apparently, many of the native gals are still sporting the “Kelly Kapowski” long locks, which must be very gratifying to Tiffany-Amber Thiessen. Suffice to say, it’s lucky (or providential, if you like) that I have been reading Beth Moore’s So Long Insecurity.  I fear I’ll be saying “farewell” as long as I am beaching it here. 

In the meantime, I hope you'll join us on this observational journey as we "learn to hula" during this cultural deployment to paradise.

My first Craigslist-Oahu purchase- Pottery Barn bookshelf