midweek hawaii

Swimming Upstream – MidWeek April 24, 2024

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Perseverance, resiliency, persistency, adaptability. Emotions, traits, or learned skills? These concepts can represent powerful tools in one’s personal arsenal. ‘Twas Charles Darwin who said: “It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.” In our lives we often come to crossroads, and while change can be quite difficult, change we must… sometimes. 

Change is good… as long as it’s good change. Simply suggesting change doesn’t make it good or correct in and of itself. Leaders or hopeful change masters need buy-in when advocating for change. They need impassioned rationale that can be embraced and/or believed in. Ah, but sometimes you gotta adapt and change on your own.

Like on March 29 in Northeast Oregon… A 40-ton trailer overturned while transporting 102,000 live salmon (who counted?!) to be released in the Imnaha River to invariably migrate to the ocean, thereby circumventing the many northern river dams in place. This man-made process has moved fish downstream for 40 years.

So here comes the amazing part of this semi-disaster. The crashed tanker slid down an embankment of Lookingglass Creek. More than 76,000 smolts (young salmon) slid or flopped down the creek embankment in desperation, making their way into the creek, and most are expected to make it down through the Grande Ronde River to the Pacific Ocean- the original goal. Incredible! Without a GPS. Members of the Nez Perce tribe, hatchery workers, and the local sheriff’s office worked together to guide those who couldn’t make it into the water on their own, and cleaned up those who perished.

A fine example of perseverance, true grit, adaptability, and instinctual survival tactics. A life-saving example that when things go haywire or don’t work out- live to fight another day. Longtime Washington Post advice columnist, Carolyn Hax, recently wrote back to a querying parent about whether or not to coddle troubled teenagers by suggesting that they need to experience adversity along the way. “They need this because every life has some element of frustration, loneliness, rejection, mistreatment, misunderstanding, raw deals, disappointment, disaster and dream-crushing. And after that comes Tuesday.” 

Philosopher Friedrich Nietsche said: “What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger”. 77,000 salmon found strength amid disaster. Life’s road is not an easy, smooth ride; it sometimes feels like an overturned truck. Yet overcoming adversity is an integral part of growing up, right through adulthood.

Think about it…

Animal Farce – MidWeek April 17, 2024

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I awaited my pick-up order at a well-known restaurant recently, one which serves patrons both inside and outside (with closed doors between); and what should I see just poking along, amid unfazed diners, but a chicken, a free bird. Well, she seemed to be free, as she had full range of the place, and no one seemed to care. Entertained diners even tossed scraps to the chicken.

I guess we’ve gotten so inured to the pesky presence of plucky poultry that we’ll apparently let them roam wherever they’d like. As I awaited my Thai Chicken phone order (seriously), I couldn’t help but think- someone should tie this chicken! But whatevah!

A day earlier, I was in a well-known supermarket and the person behind me in line was saying, “Sit! Sit”. Yes, of course, he was commanding a dog, a gorgeous golden retriever, friendly as they (almost) always are. We’ve had four goldens over the decades- truly, marvelous friends. But why a non-guide dog would be permitted inside yet another food establishment was beyond me. Perhaps the dog was guiding his owner to the gouda or brie; I don’t know, but at least the canine was on a leash. Alas, we’ve gone to the dogs.

As a fellow dog lover, folks I’ve wondered about are the friendly, neighborhood walkers or beachgoers who think that allowing their obedient pet free rein is just fine. Er… Hawai`i has a public property leash law, and there are valid reasons for that. When a heretofore friendly dog does something wrong (like say… bites someone or barks contentiously) we normally hear from the stunned owner that “he/she has never done that before!” Well, all it takes is once. You might consider your Fido to be a friendly sniffer, but perhaps it’s uncool when Fido’s cozying up to someone who (unbeknownst to you) has been bitten before or was once traumatized by a dog. So please, can’t we just (publicly) love ‘em and leash ‘em?

And then we have those wandering neighborhood cats, feline pets perusing our great outdoors, sometimes serenading us at 2am or digging in the dirt beneath our bedroom window at 4am. It’s a cat-astrophe… but perhaps these carousing kitties might (at least) scare off proliferating free birds clucking things up in far too many neighborhoods. Here’s to human appreciation for the sedate animal kingdom, but let’s keep ‘em under some control.

Think about it…

The ABCs of CBOs – MidWeek March 13, 2024

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Organizations that deal with crises all the time locally are facing crises not of their own making. The Hawai`i True Cost Coalition is comprised of more than 50 community-based organizations (CBOs) that annually serve over a half-million residents in Hawai`i. 

The Coalition is attempting to rectify the decades-old problem of government underfunding for government-based projects so that agencies can continue to provide support for victims of domestic abuse, housing for foster/at-risk youth and other low-income individuals/families, food distribution for those in need, elderly services, homeless outreach, mental health counselling… the list goes on and on. Pick a social problem, and odds are an agency dealing with it that that has to come up with its own funding due to government underpayment (and slow payment) for government-initiated programs.

It’s beyond unfair that local nonprofits must continue to have this financial burden placed upon them by archaic pay scales; the last few years (with COVID and the Maui wildfires) have made things even more difficult for so many agencies that so many rely on.

Full disclosure- I work at Aloha United Way, am involved with the True Cost Coalition, and thus help as a partner agency with Coalition members who are simply trying to make ends meet so that they can deliver social services so badly needed. If non-profit agencies cannot cover administrative and personnel costs to run government projects and programs, something’s gotta give… like services provided, having enough social workers available to do the work, etc. CBO-sourced grants and donations help, but the irony is that if non-profits must cut back services or close their doors, the onus to deal with social ills will invariably fall back on local government. Problems will compound, which will cost even more.

A 2022 survey of Hawai`i non-profits indicated that, in working on government contracts, 79% “always or often had to cut administrative costs”, 56% “always or often had to undercut staff salaries”, and 40% “…felt they may not be able to continue to operate in Hawai`i if government contracting challenges are not addressed”. Not good, not right.

The state has a budget crisis; that’s understood. But we’ll see disastrous, ripple effects if we experience a disappearance of or program cutbacks at efficient CBOs that help over 500,000 people locally because they are not being sufficiently funded by the very entities they contract with and who depend on them- the government.

Think about it…   

Weight; Gain – MidWeek March 31, 2021

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According to a recent American Psychological Association poll, 42% of Americans indicated that they’d gained “more weight than they intended” over the past year. Average weight gain? 29 pounds! Ouch… And 10% admitted to gaining 50+ pounds. Plus 33% polled said they’ve slept less during the pandemic; the potential for PTSD and other mental (as well as physical and emotional) disorders may linger long after the vaccination solution has calmed things down in the coming months.

Just over half the respondents in the APA poll said they are exercising less due to the pandemic and 68% said they are snacking more. Gotta do something when streaming and binge-watching, I guess. 

We all know that added weight, combined with general fatigue, anxiety, and less exercise over a prolonged period of time is a potentially toxic recipe for multiple health problems, so the question becomes just how quickly will affected people “recuperate” once things get back to something like our benign (in retrospect), pre-March-2020 local  lifestyle?

If you work for a large employer, there’s a chance that it offers a confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP). If so, it’s worth making a call just to talk to someone, anonymously, without judgment. There is no shame in asking for advice, help, or a connection. Asking for help is actually a sign of strength as you come to grips with what’s gripping you during this abnormal time.

You, and everyone around you, can benefit if you’re willing to reach out. Call your health care provider or a local mental health entity to get direction and clarity. And please understand that you are most assuredly not alone. Anxiety, depression, hopelessness, helplessness- the COVID fallout list goes on. But there is hope and there are answers. Millions feel just like you do in this most cruel and unusual year of the pandemic, even now, with a possible end in sight (i.e. mass vaccinations).

Lack of exercise, energy, clarity, or the resources to resolve issues can be addressed and dealt with today. Or tomorrow. There’s no need to wait any longer. Give yourself a break; no need to tough it out- especially after 13-months. The State has a crisis line, and there are other avenues to travel down to find the relief that so many people deserve and need. Mental consternation? COVID blues? Weight gain? Eh, No wait.. gain answers.

Think about it…