When it comes to being thankful, there is good news and there is bad news. The bad news? Thanksgiving has come and gone. The good news? The entire month of November is National Gratitude Month. There’s still time — not
When it comes to being thankful, there is good news and there is bad news.
The bad news? Thanksgiving has come and gone.
The good news? The entire month of November is National Gratitude Month. There’s still time — not much, but some — to come up with a list of things you have to be grateful for.
Starting the list should be simple for anyone fortunate enough to call the Garden Island “home.”
Just place the now-familiar saying-turned-slogan at the very top of your list: “Lucky We Live Kauai.” The rest will write itself.
We are indeed lucky to be living on this tiny, but incredibly lovely piece of paradise.
Every bend in the winding road that circles our island reveals breathtaking views with more shades of green than you even knew existed.
Every stretch of sandy coastline you pass has backdrops of ocean vistas with blues that range from turquoise to azure to cobalt.
There are mountains, sometimes majestic, sometimes forbidding; rolling hills dressed in verdant splendor; forests and rainforests and oh, the flowers, rich with color or pungent with fragrance.
As beautiful as she is, though, Kauai does not hold the patent on beauty. Every island, every state, every country also has places that take your breath away. But those of us who live here can tell you our island is more than just a pretty face.
First, to remember what we once had, we need to take a step back in time.
A few short decades ago, life was much simpler here. There was one traffic light on a haul cane road in the middle of a Westside cane field. It was such a curiosity, Eastsiders often drove visiting relatives all the way to Mana just to see it.
There weren’t any “No Trespassing” signs on pasture fences, no gates on access roads to beaches or waterfalls. Neighbors didn’t mind if you plucked a mango or lychee or guava hanging from a tree in their yard as you walked by. In fact they’d give you a package of more fruit to take home.
Luxury homes had just started to replace older houses on premium beachfront lots and still were few and far-between.
You didn’t need a permit or even a tent to take your family camping back then. Campsites could be found among the trees near your favorite beach or park and you didn’t need to ask permission to set up camp. If you had a tarp, gas lantern and matches, all you had to do was load the bed of your pickup truck with food, fishing gear, towels and extra clothes and you were good to go.
Beaches were far from crowded, even on holidays, and you gladly shared them with anyone there, often forging new friendships that lasted a lifetime.
There was much less traffic on the roads. Families usually owned only one car and rental cars were still a rarity.
You could drive from Kapaa to Lihue and back again and pass just a handful of cars. But as few as there were, you still usually spotted someone you knew well enough to wave a cheerful “Aloha” out the window.
‘Ohana was everything and the foundation of our social structure. Kupuna were revered. Keiki were cherished and obeyed their parents.
Today things are different, not always better but not always worse, either.
Our population has nearly tripled, augmented by new births of course, but also by transplants who visited Kauai, fell in love and made it their home.
These days, there seem to be traffic lights everywhere you look and sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic caused by accidents, construction or simply too many cars on roads ill-equipped to handle them is commonplace.
Neighbors still share fruit from trees in their yard but now frown on people who help themselves without asking first.
Concern about abandoned cars, litter and liability have forced state and county governments, corporate and private owners to reluctantly restrict access to some places we once took for granted.
Permits are required to camp now, beaches are much more crowded and million-dollar homes are familiar sights today.
‘Ohana is still our foundation but the escalating drug problem that plagues the rest of the nation has weakened its traditional ability to deter our youth from committing a crime.
So despite all of that, what makes Kauai special?
It is a mixture of new and old.
Preservation of our culture is active, effective and successful. Hawaii’s language, history, music and dance have been handed down here for generations.
Our language, once banned and in danger of being lost, has been embraced by the young and old, who are keeping it alive.
Kumu hula have committed themselves to teaching, preserving and creating new hula in their respective halau. Talented artists of all ages constantly release recordings of traditional and new songs.
Kauai Museum and Kauai Historical Society are diligent in their efforts to document, preserve and share important pieces of Kauai’s history.
Kauai has a diversity of religion unparalleled in a community as small as ours. People here worship at churches of numerous denominations in every town on the island.
Kauai has kept up with technology as well. Ideas and information often have come from new residents who brought their knowledge and experience with them when they moved to our island and have shared their mana’o whenever they can.
Our retail sector is booming. Kauaians no longer have to fly to Honolulu to shop for Christmas gifts. There are more than enough places here.
The visitor industry is also strong, creating more opportunities for dollars to be spent on rental cars, hotel rooms, meals and gift purchases.
There is so much more those of us who live here have to be thankful for. I challenge you to find them.
Just remember … “Lucky we Live Kauai.”
Aloha.
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Rita De Silva is former editor of The Garden Island and is a resident of Kapaa.
