Hawaiian Word of the Week: Po

Darkness seems to bring up a lot of negative thoughts…the absence of light, the scariness of what might be looming in the darkness, even monsters under the bed. 

But it seems in Hawaii, the po (pronounced: “poh”) or, the “night” in Hawaiian, seems to bring a sense of calm (and in some cases, cooler temperatures!). On a recent trip to Hawaii, I paid closer attention to the po in Hawaii. The sense of calm, the silence of the birds and how peaceful nature was as the day was starting to fall asleep. And it made me reflect on how perhaps when I am at home, I think about the po in the wrong way.

As the sun goes down tonight, I will be thinking about the calm at the end of the day…how the po can wrap its arms around me as I, too, start to wind down. 

How do you see the po? Do you feel the scary, negative side or the calm side?

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