Kaʻaumoana McKenney

It was less than two weeks ago that I, like many people, was stunned to hear on the ten o’clock news that Ka’au McKenney’s body had been recovered near Makapu’u lighthouse. It made no sense but the picture they flashed on the screen was definitely him, blue eyes that made up half of his face, a big smile that made up the rest. 45 years young, still so much left to do.

A friend of mine says you can tell whether someone’s life was successful by how many people attend his or her funeral. An insightful but unnecessary measurement. I already knew I would be only one of the many, many people who attended the service for Ka’au yesterday and the scattering of his ashes this morning. Ka’au was a beautiful person and a genuine waterman, and what set him apart from others who are lucky enough to live their passions was his desire to give back to the community. Because of that he will live on, through through his students, through his contribution to the polynesian voyaging community and even in the stars, and we will all be better for it. Mahalo, Ka’au, for your many gifts. Aloha, a hui hou.

Every Day Is a Good Day – Memorial Edition

Since I am one of the women whose reflections are included in this book, my credibility may be questioned if I say too much about what a great book it is, so instead, I’ll critique myself, which I’m very good at doing. I always cringe when I read what I have said in interviews but that is not so in this case. In part it may be because Wilma gave me a chance to revise my responses, which I did, but I think that is only a small part of it. Wilma asked me questions that went beyond what I might have been thinking that day. The questions were deep. They went to the core of my beliefs, to my relationship to my Hawaiian culture and to what my version is of a meaningful life. I look at my bio at the back of the book and that has changed radically since 2004 but not my world view or core convictions. That is probably why I would not change a word today, over 7 years after saying what I said that day. I think the same is probably true for every other women interviewed in this book.

I mention in a blog that I wrote shortly after Wilma passed (see below) that this book was based on individual interviews with each women featured, we did not sit in a circle and have a free flowing discussion, yet, because of the skillful way Wilma wove our thoughts together, all our spirits are, in fact, sitting together, having this conversation.

I hope the collective wisdom in this book is helpful to anyone looking for inspiration, for meaning, even for answers. I am humbled to be in the company of these other women who are carriers of their cultures, who are deeply profound and amazing individuals. It certainly inspires me to be a better person. Mahalo ia ‘oe, Wilma.

My first overnight sail

The Kamafiki Crew, as we named ourselves, went on our first overnight sail this past Saturday, a moonless night so we could see stars. Basically there are six of us on this crew that means ‘magic’ in Samoan, according to Captain Buddy.
It’s a word he uses when something suddenly fixes itself or does what it’s supposed to. None of us could find it in a Samoan dictionary and the one Tongan one of us asked had never heard of kamafiki. When you think about it, it makes sense that there wouldn’t be such a word as magic, at least in a Polynesian cultural context, because magic is sorcery. Anyway… we liked the word. The six of us on this crew bonded from training for the Hokule’a world wide sail. We all pretty much started coming to classes at the same time last year and so became friends.

Only four could make it last Saturday but it was enough to set sail. Captain Buddy McGuire has been very generous to teach us and to give us ocean time on his 41 foot sloop. Every sail is a training opportunity, and we are having a crash course in sailing vocabulary as well as how to do everything aboard ship. Preparations are especially critical as it would not be good to get stuck in the middle of the ocean.

We finally got everything checked, verified that it was all working and headed out. We weren’t going far, just to the sandbar in the middle of Kane’ohe Bay. We got more or less to where we were going and stopped for the night. I didn’t think about the fact that we were going to have to take turns doing ‘anchor watch’. Even though our anchors were pretty firmly set, we wouldn’t want to accidentally drift during the night, so after dinner we paired off and started our watches. This was the part we had all been waiting for. A clear sky on the ocean, away from city lights, where we could observe stars. We spent much of the time looking at our star charts and comparing them to the sky. It was exciting to actually see stars and constellations that are too difficult to see from land. Leo and Scorpio were the clearest constellations I saw that night as well as many individual stars. It was the lessons in the Planetarium coming to life. The steady breeze and rocking of the boat made it feel like we were moving, although we weren’t. I thought about my Scottish great grandfather, Captain Daniel McGregor, who captained the ferry that went back and forth between Hau’ula and Kane’ohe in the late 1800s. I thought about my Hawaiian ancestors, who must have also known these waters. There’s lots to think about at night while keeping watch aboard ship. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be to sleep and get up every two hours – and stay awake – although I don’t know how many nights in a row I would be able to do it. We were all pretty exhausted the next day, which was a beautiful day for sailing out into the deep blue, which we did.

As far back as I can remember I have wanted to spend the night at sea in something smaller than a passenger liner, something more closely one with the elements. I finally got my wish and I wasn’t disappointed. Now I look even more forward to actually sailing at night on Hokule’a, navigating by the stars. That will be next.

Please support “Waking in a Sea of Dreams”

I am raising funds for a new book called Walking In A Sea of Dreams.

I have been humbled by the response. I’ve gotten lots of grants and commissions but nothing like belief and support from friends and family to create a personal obligation and desire to make a totally excellent project. And I will.

When I first heard of Kickstarter.com I thought it was very cool but could NEVER imagine myself proposing a project through their site. After thinking more about it and the increasingly limited funding for creative projects (grants or otherwise), I decided to apply. Kickstarter accepted my application and here I am, in a place that has pushed me beyond anything I would have envisioned doing six months ago! Putting up the site was easy, the less easy part is shamelessly asking people to support my endeavor, but it is a major part of what I have to do to make this successful, so here I am! These funds will help to cover living expenses while I stay home and write. Please look at the site, please post it on your facebook and other social network sites, please forward this with your recommendation on to your friends and anyone you know who might be interested in supporting my efforts and most of all, please consider making a contribution! I have only a few more weeks to raise the full amount. I’m only asking $5,500 because if I don’t raise the full amount, I don’t get anything. If I raise more, better yet. $5,500 won’t go far but it will at least give me permission to focus on the story for six weeks or so. To contribute, just click the green tab on the right of the page that says “Back This Project” and it will walk you through the steps. Mahalo for reading this far and I hope you enjoy the short video I made mostly with my Flip camera and iphone. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1885171992/waking-in-a-sea-of-dreams-manuscript

HELP FUND THIS NEW BOOK

The Kickstarter fundraiser is over. If you would like to donate,
please contact me.
Thanks.

Social Media

Almost a year ago I set up this website with the intention of making a place where I could make public commentary on things – events, people, news, movies, kitty cats, whatever struck me.

I wanted to be like local newspaper columnist Lee Cataluna and say what I think as a way to get people think more deeply about what’s going on in the community, celebrate neighbors whose deeds are noteworthy yet not significant enough to be reported in the news. Her humor is insightful, local, intelligent, often biting and more often than not, profound. To date, my entries have not been ala Lee Cataluna. I discovered that I am reluctant to make observations about inept politicians or poke fun at my community or people in it because I don’t want to say something that may come back and bite me in the ʻōkole at an inopportune time.

I recently attended a training session on social media and how nonprofit agencies can use it to advance their mission. It was very informative and even exciting to think about how all these instant internet communication tools can help an organization achieve its goals. This brought me back to thinking about why I am not a particularly active participant in developing an internet social media network.

Here’s what I think about social media: I don’t see the point of reporting one’s every move unless one has a tremendously big ego (if one just got food poisoning at a certain restaurant or witnessed an incredible event or is reporting what the newspapers and network news fails to cover, then reporting it is definitely useful); I don’t understand why one would want the world to know that they are fixated on Hooters girls unless they have no life otherwise (hmm, do I really know anyone like that?); I don’t understand why someone wants to be my friend on Facebook when they don’t know me and I don’t know them (although I did appreciate all the birthday wishes from so many strangers).

So here it is, my first Lee Cataluna-esque commentary. For what it’s worth, my kitty cats have gotten bigger and are hilarious when they’re not being annoying, and I’m about to go out to dinner with my mother and brother.