Bring aloha to brief encounters
Bring aloha to brief encounters
I have just returned from my twice a week trip to Kapa’a town. People are a bit stressed. Most folks are masked up and distancing, but many eyes show frustration. I don’t know what that person behind her mask is feeling, Could be, a son, a senior who won’t “walk?” Athletic scholarship or competition put on hold? A big event or trip or surgery postponed till whenever? A sick husband? Or, the big one, – No job, No Money coming in.
As we wait as nicely as possible outside the Kapa’a Post office, we hope that we can smile and get an “eye” smile back when we finally get through the door. The Kapa’a Post office is only able to have one employee handling the counter, where they often had two or more before COVID 19. We hope we can receive a smile as that person behind the counter may be the only adult outside of family who we interact with this day. The checkers at Big Save or Longs, The Gas station attendant, people in our community “manning the forts”, these are the few folks who we communicate with in person during this quarantine. Can we make that brief exchange a moment of aloha? Eye Smile.
Mary Gannon Alfiler, Kapa‘a
