January 03, 2004

The Paradoxical Commandments

Seems like they fixed Blogger I was able to get right on tonight. Had a Very Crazy Day at the store....First we were "crazy" busy, kaaa-ching! Second, the Cunningham Crazies were out in force. Thought about calling the cops a few times. Had people buzzing the doorfor the silliest reasons. ( we have this buzz-in security door. Keeps out silliness mostly like someone kleping a Wolf Design Bag ect...)"Please let us in the gate, we don't have a key...(its a security building dimwit, if you don't have a key perhaps you shouldn't be in there..) Can we rent a room from you?...Use your phone? Borrow a pen, paper and phone book??? Sometimes like today I am with a customer and ignore them as if they don't exist. Woody went out and said to one guy, "Hey do I look like the manager?" Much laughing ensued as the manager Darryl is a rather large black man and Woody is a rather small white guy. A huge contingent of street folk roosted on the steps of the Central Christian Church all day long including assorted drunks still partying for New Years, Four hookers working, a known drug dealer working his trade, and a guy we call "Turtle Man" for his interest in the large turtle pendant by Steven Lee Designs that we keep in the window. ( that all sounded like the 12 days of Christmas... oh oh let me try..)

At the Central Christian Church a vision caught my eye...
5 piles of trash...................!
4 hookers hooking,
3 drug pushers,
2 sloppy drunks,
and a long haired guy we call the Turtle Man!

Not bad eh...

I wish the pastor would deal with the attractive nuisance that the vestibule of the church creates. Its the local hangout for these folks that really should get a life. Sorry if that sounds like "Gee, so sad to be you..."

But I was "them" once....

We really need to move the shop... Even one block up will help...

I've been following a story here in town that is so typically Hilo I cant believe it. A local man live up in the Kaumana Farmlots. This is up on the slopes of Mauna Kea, above Hilotown. There are many levees and berms along the roads as the rains don't have time to soak in on the steep slopes so the channels provide a safe drainage ditch. 20 years ago a man named Mr. Paulos decided to spruce up his street that bordered one of those ugly berms and so he planted coconut palms along the berm. For years he tended them, trimmed them. In turn, not only did they provide greenery and shade, as well as coconuts, the roots held the soils in place on the berm. A month ago for reasons known only to God as the County Public works will not say who ordered it, all of the trees were cut down, to the outrage of the people of Kaumana. "The road is ugly again!" was the cry of the old people. Those that knew that Mr. Paulos was the care taker were angry beyond words... "How dare they do this to an old man!" The civil engineers thought that the roots might undermine the berm, but the trees have been there so long that really they might have been holding the thing to gether! So if a flood ensues who will be blamed? I guess Mr. Paulos...Brother...

One of the Akolea Road residents placed a thank you letter in the paper and added this poem. I copy it for you and for all of those who do good and get no thanks for it. This includes our brave men and women in uniform, police, and other public servants. Thank you from me as well...

The Paradoxical Commandments

1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self centered...love them anyway.

2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives... Do good anyway.

3. If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies... Succeed anyway.

4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow... Do good anyway.

5. Honesty and kindness make you venerable... Be honest and frank anyway.

6.The biggest men and the women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds...Think Big anyway.

7.People favor the underdog, but follow the Top Dog. Fight for a few underdogs anyway...

8. What you spend a lifetime building can be destroyed overnight... Build anyway....

9. People really need your help, but may attack you if you do help them... Help people anyway.

10. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth... Give the world your best anyway....

If you have read my blog before, you will see a poem scrolling at the end. It is one that I wrote after hearing Keola Bemer playing at a lunch I attended. He spoke about how "Aloha" is about "Honoring" someone. I think that the commandments above are about that concept. If you do them you also honor yourself. You can look yourself in the eye and say, "well done." The peace that come from not second guessing yourself is great. Give your best and you never have to worry about what ifs... I like it.

Reading new blogs will add a few more to my "blogdom" Thanks to Lauren of "pink post-its-online" for her great review of My Wide Blue Seas. Check out her blog and the others that I have up great reading.