Page 2 - MidWeek Kauai - Oct 20, 2021

2 KAUA‘I MIDWEEK OCTOBER 20, 2021
Kaizen Commitment
aizen is a Japanese term (actually first devel-
sity, an eager, energetic and interested perspective on life regardless of circum- stances.
voyage with him.
The poignant refrain re-
where he also served as a lifeguard. Eddie’s first re- sponse in times of crisis was to save lives — he had saved hundreds at that bay. So it was, the morning after a long, cold, wet night that he received permission to pad-
oped in the U.S. during the industrial manu-
Eddie Aikau was a quietly intense, energetic person. He was eager to be a crewmem- ber on the 1978 Hōkūle‘a
veals his enthusiasm and aloha for the beloved ca- noe: “Feelings deep and so strong for Hōkū, Hōkūle‘a.”
dle on a surfboard in search of rescue for our crew that was left clinging to the bot- tom of the half-submerged, capsized Hōkūle‘a. Eddie exemplified the word’s origins, from the Greek, “entheos,” “possessed by a god.”
facturing frenzy of World War II) meaning “change for the better” or “continuous improvement.” I’ve written and spoken about it before, but the value of this concept hit me last week when I saw a friend of mine who I hadn’t seen in two years because, well, you know why.
Before Hōkūle‘a capsized in the Kaiwi Channel, Eddie
I was at a properly attended social function when he happened to walk by. Instinctively, I stood up and gave him a bro-hug, like we might’ve done casually just two years ago. It was a bit awkward, and I probably should’ve played the handshake or knuckles “hello” game, but emotions took over. After we said our pleas- antries and “stay safe,” I started thinking about kaizen. We can’t recover everything, make the world go back to normal, re-create our lives from 2019 overnight. But we can take incremental steps.
I believe it was Eddie’s quiet, intense enthusiasm coupled with his intention to save lives, that mysteri- ously brought rescue to the distressed canoe and our crew on St. Patrick’s night 43 years ago.
Even as habits have changed since March 2020, peo- ple are able to somewhat rationalize the COVID-19 weight gain — in pounds. Try not to agonize over the daunting concept of losing 19 pounds, but perhaps fo- cus on losing a pound every week or so. That may be manageable and doable. Success breeds confidence.
If we could develop enthu- siasm, for each other and our common humanity, we could, as Eddie did, particularly in these uncertain times, use our gifts to serve others.
We are constantly reminded to get 30 minutes of exercise a day. For many of us, however, the willpower, motivation or wherewithal to do that just isn’t always there. But walking around the block once daily with the dog? That works. Seven minutes? OK, it’s a start. Maybe in two weeks you’re up to walking around the block twice. Incremental steps, piecemeal gains, but realistic goals to get you on your way.
Sunny Garcia competes in the 2016 Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, named after the renowned lifeguard and surfer.
AP PHOTO/CALEB JONES
Marion attends Central Union Church and is a mind- fulness practitioner.
Chasing The Light is pro- duced by Lynne Johnson and Robin Stephens Rohr.
Got the blues? Find little things to help make you happy. A song, a memory. I literally watched two ducks floating in a pond while waiting to tee off on a golf course last Saturday. Two ducks. They bobbed without a care in the world (I suppose). How tranquil, ideal, simple. I’m sure my blood pressure dropped a notch right there, especially after bogeying the preceding hole, an easy par 4.
The Arc Of Enthusiasm
W“Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you.” — Dale Carnegie
hen one thinks voyage, and the night of our was known as a surfer and of people who crew selection, he shared a lifeguard.
are enthusiastic, song he wrote with those of As a surfer, he was re-
they tend to have an inten- us who had trained for this nowned at Waimea Bay,
with Marion Lyman Mersereau
Fill in the blank cells using numbers 1 to 9. Each number can appear only once in each row, column, and 3x3 block. Use logic and process of elimination to solve the puzzle. The difficulty level ranges from Bronze (easiest) to Silver to Gold (hardest). Answers are on page 11
RATING: SILVER
At the end of the day, doing little pieces of something is better than doing a whole lot of nothing. Mountains are hard to climb if you gaze forlornly at the top, but the time has come to start focusing on smaller chunks — the next ridge, opportunity, success. Maybe that’s how we can find our way back.
Think about it ...
john@thinkaboutithawaii.com