Hawaiian Word of the Week: kaumaha

For years in the 1990’s, my Thursday nights were spent watching the TV show “Friends”. I was the exact same age as the characters on the show…I went through exactly the same things they did, I had a group friends like theirs. Their struggles with their careers, with relationships, it all was so relatable.  It felt like I was watching my own life unfold on TV every week. 

Last week’s news of the passing of one of the actors from the show hit me hard. I have been feeling very kaumaha (pronounced: cow-mah-hah) or sad…but I’m not really sure I understand why. I didn’t know this actor personally…the closest I have ever been to him is about the 340 miles between LA and where I live. But my connection to his character on the show and to his friends was stronger than I even realized. 

All week, I’ve read stories about the actor and the struggles he had in his life. But I also read many, many articles about how a generation of people have been affected so deeply by his passing. It was almost as if an entire generation was kaumaha. It was a bit comforting for me to know that I wasn’t the only one who was feeling this loss so deeply. 

Have you had a situation recently where you felt kaumaha?

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