Wednesday, July 14, 2010

He 'olino leo ka ke aloha . . .

Aloha mai kākou! One of the Hawaiian values we try to emulate in our lives is 'olu'olu, which means gentle, agreeable, comfortable and pleasant. Now in reality it isn't always easy to be pleasant and agreeable. We find ourselves in all kinds of situations each day that challenge our ability to remain pleasant and joyful. Here's an 'ōlelo no'eau that can help us. He 'ōlino leo kā ke aloha. Joy is in the voice of love. Love speaks in gentle and joyous ways, not harshness or gruffness. This is a wonderful reminder to us all of the power of our words and the impact even the tone of our voice can have. Now I have a loud, powerful voice, so speaking in a gentle way can be a challenge for me, but as I remind myself of this 'ōlelo no'eau I have the opportunity to pause and decide how I will react, how I will speak and what I will say. This applies to us in our 'ohana, with our elders, our children, our siblings and our spouses. It applies to us at work, with our colleagues, supervisors, all those we interact with in our work lives. Sometimes we find ourselves speaking more kindly to a perfect stranger than those who we love and who mean the most to us. So, today, will you join me in choosing to speak with gentleness, joyfully, with love? Whatever situation you find yourself in, hit the "pause" button and choose to emulate this 'ōlelo no'eau - He 'ōlino leo kā ke aloha.

Aloha nō, a hui hou!

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