Hawaiian Word of the Week: lokomaika'i

As I get older, I am reflecting more and more about my ‘younger’ years. Life seems so complicated back then but now, as I look back, life was so much simpler than it feels today. One thing that I think of a lot is how now the world seems to be lacking kindness or lokomaika’i (pronounced loh-koh-mah-ee-kah-ee) that I remember from when I was young. I recall parents of my neighborhood friends hosting us for dinner or for after school snacks. How my  mom would share whatever she baked with our neighbors and friends. How when we saw someone in need, we helped.

I always feel lokomaika’i when I am in Hawaii and maybe that is why I love being there so much.. I remember being on a two-lane highway in Kauai and there was a passing lane. There was a lot of traffic but NO ONE used the passing lane to try to get ahead of other cars. It was something that here on the mainland, I would have expected the passing lane to be at a stand still as well. When I realized what was happening, I started to wonder…why don’t I show that kind of lokomaika’i more?

Here is my challenge this week to you: spread some lokomaika’i this week to someone you don’t know. Buy coffee for someone in line with you at the coffee shop…help an elderly person cross that busy street….some random act of lokomaika’i. 

And make sure to share with us what lokomaika’i you spread this week!

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