February 14 comes but once a year.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

In my humble opinion, this is a day we take too much for granted, or just let slip by us. I’ve been the guiltiest of us all in this, and I’m trying my best to make up for lost time.

In Hawaii, there is a phrase which you will often hear in songs and chants:

He waiwai nui ke aloha, ‘o ka‘u nō ia e pūlama nei.
Love is of great value, it is what I do cherish.

On this Valentine’s Day, I’d urge you to think of everyone you love, and not just the one you may be romantically involved with. Those you love, and who love you, don’t need chocolate or flowers from you, they want the simpler things which are very easy for you to give --- things that will do wonders for you too:

Close your eyes, and wake up all over again - in a great mood.
Choose to wear something they gave you for Christmas, or your last birthday. Display that funky gift on your desk.
Don’t rush, be patient. For today, let it be okay to interrupt you.
Leave an unexpected “just thinking about you today” on their voicemail, or in their email.
Let them go first.
Let them go last.
Give a sincere compliment about how they look today.
Admire something they said, ask for their advice.
Talk about a good memory you have of another time spent with them. Say thank you.
Call your mom, your dad, your sister, your brother, your son, your daughter, your best friend.
Make a date to spend more time with them next week. Clear your calendar so there will be no way to miss it or forget it.
Do a chore for them when it’s not your turn, but theirs, with no word said to call attention to it.
Keep a promise you’ve made. Make another one you know is important to them.
Hug them.
Smile at them, laugh with them.
Kiss their cheek. Hold their hand.
Apologize.
Share a dream or secret just with them.
Let them know its okay to be silly, or make a mistake, because you’ll be there for them.
Write a few mushy words of caring somewhere they are sure to see it. Be present. Skip the idle channel, web, and dial surfing.
Go home on time. Better yet, get home before they do.
Watch whatever they want to watch, listen to whatever they want to listen to, and stay in the same room with them.
Cook for them, clean for them.
Sing to them.
Read to them and tuck them in.
Do not allow a single negative, unkind or uncaring word to escape your lips.
Be fun to be around. Be happy because that’s how they love seeing you.

Don’t expect anything in return, and enjoy being someone who loves.

“Managing with Aloha” is not enough today: Live with Aloha.

I know its Monday, however I’d guess that the normal intensity you bring to work can wait for tomorrow. If the people you work with think differently, be a leader and consider this: they want someone braver than they are to show them the way; they need your good example. Today is Valentine’s Day, and it only happens once a year. You have the best excuse today for wearing your heart on your sleeve.

He waiwai nui ke aloha, ‘o ka‘u nō ia e pūlama nei.
Me ke aloha pumehana,
Rosa

Comments

[Christopher Bailey]

Rosa, this is fantasic. In my more cynical days I would spout off about how Valentines Day is just a corporate ruse initiated by the flower, chocolate, and greeting card industries to make some outrageous revenues. And while I have chosen to get none of those things for my wife this year, I have chosen to return to the very meaning of the holiday which is to love and appreciate my wife for all that she is and does (and if for no other reason, for putting up with my emotional scattershots lately).

You also ended with something that made me pause and fully take in your wisdom. You wrote, "They want someone braver than they are to show them the way; they need your good example." It does take courage and fierceness to tred a different path in the workplace and the rest of life. I just like how you say it.

Happy Valentines Day to you...

[E. Kaiponohea Hale]

It is a day of reaffirming one's compassion for others and a time to collectively embrace the need to express sentiments of aloha and mahalo.....Hau'oli Lä Pillialoha.....na Kaiponohea Hale