Perhaps I missed the official declaration, but nine months after we were told that the Hawai`i rainbow license plate design was going to (probably) be replaced, it appears that the multicolored arc has another 15 years left. As the Star Advertiser’s “Kokua Line” recently reported, the Honolulu Customer Services Department indicated that the lifespan of the pretty plates will be prolonged utilizing a heretofore unused letter combination. A simple solution.
As it should be! I was fortunate to attend a wonderful Hawai`i Island, executive conference last month and heard well-known super chef, Mark “Gooch” Noguchi describe a special noodle dish he’d created for those assembled. He commented about how Hawai`i is sometimes called the ultimate melting pot, when in actuality, we’re just a huge “mixed plate”- with distinctions and unique flavors, but a commonality in spirit, which makes us different from just about anywhere else.
Perhaps that uniqueness can be an instrumental driver in helping to mend the dysfunctional, constant angst we witness on so many issues around us. While the rainbow represents a beautiful mix and match of colors, all flowing across a magical arc, each color is unique, can stand by itself, yet blends with all of the other hues. A rainbow is a sign of hope, an enabler, an empath, a smile inducer.
Because at the end of the day, we are all simply connected life forms, part of a universe far greater than our individual selves or our chosen or born-into tribes. Our rainbow license plate design might seem simple, but that’s part of its beauty. Also, the HPD says its design makes it easier to read with basic black letters on a white background with the subtle colorful prism.
Who doesn’t feel a wee bit better when espying a rainbow in this land of rainbows? Who doesn’t dream a bit, envisioning that mythical pot of gold at the end of the arc? The “Kokua Line” article mentioned “…the design’s high contrast and visibility”. And isn’t that part of what makes Hawai`i so wonderful? It’s that high contrast and visibility- our islands’ diversity, customs, disparate roots, and deeply ingrained optimism and sense of `ohana.
So here’s to the continued use of rainbow plates; celebrate our mixed plate(s), revel in the differences and nuances that keep it interesting. But never forget the underlying soul and spirit that weave through everyone and everything we value locally.
Think about it…