Chanting Into Halawa

by Pam Mandel

Liv Fun: Vol 2 – Issue 1

Gaining access into this heaven on earth requires more than good intentions.

We were stopped in the middle of a narrow, winding road by a vehicle coming the other way. The big guy behind the wheel rolled down his window.
“Are you Pam?” he asked. “I have to drop my cousin off at school; I’ll be back as soon as I can. Head down to the end of the road, OK? The beach is there. Hang out. I’ll be along soon.”

West Moloka’l. Calling it West Moloka’l makes it sound like I’d traveled some distance, but I’d been in the car for only half an hour. Maybe longer, because I’d stopped frequently to take pictures and once to buy some snacks. The guy driving the pickup truck on the uphill side of the road was Lawrence Kalainia Kamani Aki. Not long after we’d crossed paths on the road, he returned to the sandy parking lot.

He was a tough-looking guy in board shorts and a T-shirt, but he had a big, easy smile. “I’ve heard about you …” I started, and he told me, yeah, he’s that guy. He’s the one who scowls at trespassers, the one who gives grief to visitors who ignore the “kapu” signs that dot the inland side of the road.

He explains it a bit further. It’s not so much that they don’t want to share this beautiful place, it’s that if someone gets lost or injured on the rocky trail, they’re responsible. It’s easier for everyone to keep it private and to guide guests; that way there’s no drama and everyone treats the place with respect.

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Liv Fun

by Leisure Care
Spring 2013
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Possessed by the Things We Possess
by Laura Leist

“You can’t take it with you when you go.” My mom lived by those nine words and repeated them often; I didn’t understand their full meaning until September 23, 1984.
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Mother May I … In Reverse
by Sue Peterson, CFA

Having a conversation with your kids can help you go about spending “their inheritance,” without the guilt. Permission. Authorization. Consent. Each of these words implies that, before taking action or making a decision, a higher power of some sort is involved and needs to be sought out and consulted.
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