Watching the Wheels

Aloha 

& Welcome to My Waikiki. . .

"Remember

not only to say the right thing

in the right place,

but

to leave unsaid

the wrong thing

at the tempting moment."

Ben Franklin

 Sometimes

we feel hemmed in,

like we've come to a dead

 end.

 But a shift in perspective,

perhaps

a glance over or around the obstacle. . . 

Just for today

I will be happy.

Everywhere I go

there are people to love

including myself.

 ><>

So many wonderful blogs!

There is just NO way I can visit each of you,

my favorites,

as often as I wish. . .

I hope you understand. . .

You enrich my life

and are much appreciated!

<><

"Life is what happens while you are making other plans."

I had studied till I could study no more.

Now I just had to get all that information

intact to the midterm examinations.

Nothing could be permitted to disturb

my edifice of facts;

Tomorrow I would write my essays

in that blue book

proving my comprehension.

Now I must sleep.

Just a few moments of music.

I turned the radio on.

"We repeat: John Lennon has been shot in New York.

No reports yet on his condition."

Suddenly

my exams seemed trivial.

How can I explain?

Fortunately, I don't really need to:

his lyrical genius

and his brilliant irreverence

touched the whole world.

For us,

his voice was the sound

of our growing up:

Pop that changed the sound of the world.

Explorations in consciousness.

A plea for PEACE.

Music and ideas

that expanded with OUR consciousness.

I loved John.

Today would have been his 70th birthday.

My path has not always made sense to those around me,

or even to myself;

but it has been 

honest as it has been

idiosyncratic.

John modelled the courage

to follow your personal genius,

to follow your heart

to give yourself fully

to that which you love.

I have always loved the song below

and identified with it.

All I am saying

is give peace with yourself

a chance.

Make it count.

Because John was right:

Life IS what happens

while we make other plans.

We make plans

and God laughs.

So laugh along.

Cry some too. . .

Thanks for being

my friend!  cloudia 

New Blogger Editor

ALOHA!

Check out the new editor in Blogger:

Pictures can be HUGE!

Oh! Here's the Text Color!

"Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time;

 it is regret for the things we did not do

 that is inconsolable."

  - Sidney J. Harris

"I want to grow old without face lifts.

 I want to have the courage

 to be loyal to the face I have made" 

Marilyn Monroe

So I guess I can make the letters,

and the background

different colors...

This is an awesome power
that could make some visitors
violently ill...

Better learn to be judicious

with hues, LOL!

Instructions:

From your Blogger Dashboard

Click on "Settings"

Scroll down to "Global Settings"

The top option is "Updated Editor (recommended)"

There you will see a link

to check out the new features,

including improved photo upload options,

and a cool "Preview" option!

Aloha, cloudia

Island Friends

Aloha

Let's Walk Waikiki

and See Who We Meet!

"The temple seashore

 incoming rollers

flow in time

to the holy flute"

Buson

“Contemplation seems to be about the only luxury  that costs  nothing.”

Dodie Smith

“When the mouse laughs at the cat  there is a hole nearby”

Nigerian Proverb

"Do not neglect to entertain strangers kindly,

for in doing so, some have entertained angels

without ever knowing it."

Hebrews 13:2

><>

Remember Sylvia Brown the psychic?

She used to appear on Montel's TV show once a week.

Little things she said

often resonated with me.

How she thought and operated

was more interesting to me

than her specific predictions.

One day she came out to thunderous applause.

Montel said: 

"They love you!"

"No,"

she said,

"They know that

I

love them."

That started me thinking:

I mean, I love humanity

(in the abstract)

but people right HERE

do (I should say 'did')

often rub me the wrong way

or fill me with

apprehension.

"What does the audience feel

when I walk through the curtain?"

I wondered.

Eventually,

I understood that I was not a 

lover,

or a fighter,

but sort of a judge.

And who enjoys the feeling

of being judged?

I have also come to understand

that the truth about us is expressed

energetically,

through 'vibes' as they say.

Over 90% of communication

is non-verbal.

Hard for a writer to believe,

but said to be true.

Fortunately,

I have since grown into a truer love

of others.

And every day brings lovely,

 ample, evidence

that my 'vibe' has changed

for the better!

Now I don't mind appearing a bit eccentric,

but I don't like to be pushy

or to let my affection get out of hand.

Aloha, after all,

 means to respect first,

means being gentle,

to simply "let others be."

It is an open invitation

not an enforcement

and means meeting each person

where they are;

Laughing with children,

crying with mourners.

All in an atmosphere

of gratitude

to every being

who shares this realm with me.

That includes 

YOU!

       Thanks very much for your visit!  cloudia

I have come to perceive

that truth expresses itself

energetically

('Vibes' if you will).

It's not about what you say,

but the feeling that you bring.

"The simple recognition that everyone else wants to be happy

 and not to suffer, just as I do,

 serves as a constant reminder against selfishness and partiality.

 It reminds us there is little to be gained from being kind

 and generous while hoping to win something in return.

 Actions motivated by a desire to earn a good name for ourselves

 are still selfish, even if they appear to be acts of kindness."

Dalai Lama

  This is the definition of Aloha!

Medal for My Neighbors

"Our Local Colors!"

A l o h a

&

Welcome to My Honolulu Town !

We are more than hotels

We have sweet little neighborhoods,
some with Diamond Head presiding.
(See it peeping up at the end of the street?)









We have great neighbors like these guys:

442nd Veterans at Rue de 442 sign, Bruyeres: (left to right) Art Iwasaki, George Kanatani, Sam Sakamoto, Nelson Akagi,
Fumio “Steve” Shimizu, Lawson Sakai. Photo: Ellen Sawamura, PhD

Last weekend, my (blog)invisible husband and I were having lunch at a nearby ZIPPY's (Hawaii's local chain restaurant) when a quartet of local men in their 80's & 90's were seated nearby. Their weathered skin, white hair, and white shirts caught my attention. Were they?



Yes,
having come from a memorial event they were all wearing polo shirts displaying the familiar patch of the 442. (Honored at top above)




Those old guys were true heroes,
and my eyes filled with tears. . .

Today, Honolulu born President Obama signed a bill awarding the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor to these men: the Japanese-American heroes of World War II, a dwindling number
of whom still live
among us here in our Honolulu Town.



The medal is being collectively awarded to the legendary "Go For Broke" regiment, made up of the 100th infantry battalion and the 442nd regimental combat team who volunteered to fight for the U.S. in World War II even as their loyalty to the country was questioned..

Two-thirds were from Hawaii, including our U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye.

“These men served the nation at a pivotal moment in our history, displaying their heroism and courage on two fronts: abroad in the fight against an absolutist fascism and at home in the face of the intolerance of racial injustice,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the bill’s chief sponsor in the House.



These fellows served even though they were branded “enemy aliens” and rendered ineligible for the draft. Some enlisted while their families were detained in internment camps.



They saw some of the most brutal fighting in WWII, suffering some 800 casualties in France rescuing the “Lost Battalion” of the 36th Division.


Senator Inouye left his arm on the battlefields of Italy.



By the end of the war, they had become the most highly decorated military unit in U.S. history for size and length of service.


And they were some of the first Allied troops to enter the Nazi death camps.




“Their perseverance, humility and strength enabled them to triumph over life’s adversities. We must never forget the Japanese-American men and women ... who nobly served to defend their country at a time when their patriotism was in doubt,” said Rep. Hirono, D-Hawaii.



Her (interim, and soon to be electorally defeated) colleague from Hawaii, Rep. Charles Djou (in a rare example of Republican agreeability) said the medal was a sign of well-deserved respect from Congress. Their willingness to volunteer and to serve, despite facing discrimination, earned them the honor he said.



Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., said the experience of the Nisei, or second-generation Japanese-Americans, should be remembered so the U.S. doesn’t treat another group of Americans the same way.






The medal will be given to the Smithsonian Institution, which will make it available for research, and for display in places associated with the units. (The legislation authorizes the Treasury to make bronze duplicates.) This highest civilian honor awarded by Congress has been given selectively since 1776, when George Washington was awarded the first.


Other honorees include the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison, Rosa Parks and the Dalai Lama.


The Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of black fighter pilots that I posted about HERE, received the medal in 2007.



Today, Hawaii-based troops continue to display the "torch" patch in conflict zones globally.


War sucks,
But heroes must be honored.

I'm just so moved!