Ke welina aloha iā kākou a pau e nā makamaka! Last night as I sat with two of my sons I asked them to share with me some of 'ōlelo no'eau that they know. I was happy to hear that they knew quite a few and that we've discussed most of them through Morning Mana'o. Then Kamalei shared one that made me think and started a great conversation. E pi'i i ka pali me he pāpa'i lā. Climb the cliff like a crab. I asked Ehu and Kamalei to share with me their mana'o pertaining to this 'ōlelo no'eau. Kamalei said that he felt it was like the mana'o Kūlia i ka nu'u, to strive for the summit for strive for the top of the cliff. Ehu said that to him it meant that we can do anything as long as we try. I then asked them why they thought the analogy of a crab was used. What advantage does a crab have in climbing the pali over anything else? In our discussion we talked about how crabs seem to glide over the rocks with such ease. Even if the rocks are moving upward, the crab is able to scale the rocks and even the sides of cliffs very easily. It moves quickly and doesn't let anything get in it's way. As we look closer at the kaona we find that pali, cliffs are often used to symbolize pilikia, challenges, difficulties and obstacles. When we ask someone, pehea 'oe? one of the responses we can get is, 'o ia mau nō i ke alo o nā pali, a poetic way of saying, I am fine as usual in spite of my trials. This 'ōlelo no'eau that Kamalei shared tells us how to face the pali in our lives - with determination, not letting anything get in our way. So, dear listeners, I live you with this charge inspired by my children - E pi'i i ka pali me he pāpa'i lā. Climb those cliffs like a crab! Aloha nō, a hui hou.
CLICK HERE to listen to and download the Morning Mana'o Podcast.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.