It all begins with respect

As my Molokai date approaches, I feel like I've transitioned from "study-mode" to "all-out-CRAM-mode!" I am working my butt off to get things ready so that I can leave with what I need. My mele project that I've been working on is really coming along... And I should feel a great sense of accomplishment. I should feel that way... but I feel like I'm never going to have enough of it done before I go. I want to make Pops proud when he sees it.

Tonight I was working on doing some translations. I'm thrilled to have the "new process" in places, but it's time consuming. I am taking the songs, word-by-word, and translating. And not just in the context of the song. I'm using the Hawaiian dictionary, internet resources, liner notes, reference books, maps--pretty much anything I can get my hands on to make sense of it all. Instead of a singing from a place of "well, I kind of know what this phrase means," I want to sing from a place of KNOWING. And to do that takes time.

I found myself tempted to take short cuts. To write quick synonyms for the words that I thought I was familiar with. How sad to cheat myself of this experience! While I'm really happy that things are making more and more sense as I go along, I want to really do this RIGHT. I want to give these mele the respect they deserve. I want to give the language the respect it deserves. I want to give Pops the respect he deserves. And lastly, I want to respect myself--to really give myself over to this process. To take as much time as it needs to do it and do it right.

I found myself repeating the words "Honor the process" and "It all begins with respect" while I worked--especially when it felt like I was moving through glue. From my studies, I've learned that the cornerstone in Hawaiian culture is RESPECT. If you really honor the process, you are respecting those that came before you and you are respecting YOURSELF.

Mele studies get deeper and deeper every day. Feeling blessed to be on this wild journey.

Happy Aloha Friday!

9 days until Molokai

Ah! Can't believe the date is approaching so quickly! You know, I fantasize about being back on island all year: what I'd like to bring for the 'ohana, what mele I hope to be able to work on with Pops, places I hope to be able to see, etc. And then as the trip approaches, I lose my mind. Can't think of anything that I'd been planning. I've got lots of music to sing, but are these the "right" ones to be singing at this point?

If I start thinking about these things when lay down to sleep at night, I'll toss and turn for hours. Working things out--over and over and over.

I think I stress because being there is so special. Sacred time for me. And I want to be prepared for everything. I don't want to be there and find myself saying "If only I had done...."

But the coolest part about being there is that it IS sacred time. And things are good there--just as they are.

Making Progress with the Mele

Ahhh.... Ok. So I sat down this afternoon and started to work on a mele from Molokai. A beautiful song that doesn't get sung very often anymore. And you know, that makes me really sad because this is such a fantastic combination of haunting melody and incredible lyrics. I was in heaven. Very few composers write like this anymore. In ANY tradition!

And I love the fact that as I sing it--over and over and over--the lyrics really start to come to life. As a non-native of the islands and a language student, sometimes the poetry is lost on my western ears and mind. But every time I slow down and take a breath and allow the song to "breathe," it's like light shines in the room. The lyrics suddenly become clear. The melody makes perfect sense. The planets align. It's all good.

I love that this is my current job. I hope that it can be forever. I can't think of a better way to spend one's time and energy. This job, while exhausting for a moment, actually gives so much more than it takes. How can you argue with that?

"Don't try. Just do!"

I was talking with Pops last night on the phone. It had been 2 weeks since we'd last spoken. Too long. I try to talk with him once a week--usually on Sunday nights. I know he comes out of the valley to go to church on Sundays. That means he has cell phone reception again!

He called me--an unusual thing. Usually I call him. I had mentioned this to a friend of mine who grew up in the islands. I told her, "Well, if he really wants to talk with me, he can call, too! Why do I always have to be the one to make the move?" She explained that in Hawai'i, it wouldn't be unusual for a kupuna to wait for my call. I needed to show the respect and make the first move. In the years that I've known Pops, I can count on one hand the number of times that he's called me. And every time is special.

We were catching up on all of the latest news. Everything that's been happening in our worlds. Family news. Local news. I told him that I really wanted to come and visit--the same thing I tell him every time we talk. He usually answers, "Well, son, I know that we'll be together again someday." I mentioned that I wanted to come in August. He sounded excited. I threw out a few dates. He grew more excited. I told him I would go on the computer and try to book a flight. His response? "Don't try. Just do!"

And that is a valuable lesson to be applied to all areas of my life. Don't try. Just do!

(And I went to my computer and made it happen. Mahalo, Pops! I'll be seeing you SOON!!)

Heading Back to Hālawa!

JUST BOOKED MY TRIP!!

I'm heading back to Molokai to study/work/hang with the ʻohana next month! Booking a trip back to the ʻāina is ALWAYS one of the best feelings. Like a birthday and Christmas and New Yearʻs Eve and the Fourth of July all rolled into one.

That means that Iʻve got to really put my nose to the grindstone and start making some headway with these mele. Nothing like committing to a trip to make you accountable, right?

Hālawa Valley, here I come!!

NEW MELE PROJECT!

I'M SO EXCITED!

I'm embarking a new project to learn some mele--specifically mele from Molokai. This is gonna be quite a journey. As I learn more about the island, the language in the mele comes to life. These songs that haven't been sung much over the last 50 years BOUNCE back into being. And I am blessed with the opportunity to learn them. How cool...