My work in Maui started pretty abruptly. I began on the 6th of Feb, following a superball sunday party at my Boss (uncle Jody B) house. He had recently installed a rock pool Jacuzzi, and his material possessions radiated the hight of luxury which one of the many windows of opportunity had gifted him. I often ponder on the lives of those with seemingly endless possessions, sometimes I fear they are tempted to live a life vicariously through their many toys. The sweet call of furthering the valourous facade has its costs. Nothing survives long under the eternal sky, and lasting happiness doesn't come from achievement, we are born in the morning and we die in the evening, those who were with us yesterday are no longer with us today. A life where your well-being and happiness is based on what you own can become a suffered life.
Nevertheless the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, I had a homeless person just the other day come up to me and ask me for 40 cents. I talked to him a while and found that he wasn't adding my money to his "piggy Bank" instead the 40 cents I had (now stingily) gifted him was all he had to his name. I now put the question out there, what can a human buy for 40 cents? I was later quite stirred by the whole circumstance and decided to give my winter jacket to someone whom might needed to survive the cold winter on the streets of Bellingham.
I use to often ask the question, what can I possibly do to help remedy the world of the myriad of problems which beset it everyday. I've now come to realise that, you can make small efforts here and there but good leverage over a problem doesn't give itself to you until you know yourself. Because not until you know yourself do your actions really come from the heart, being kind without the attachment to the outcome or affect it may have on you, kindness for the sake of kindness, no other motive. So until then I'll do what I can but with the knowledge that while my efforts are limited I'm running in the right direction.
Meeting the man on the street was a humbling lesson, I was soon to grow quite accustom to the feeling of being humble. With work came the totem pole or in this case High rise of command. I was the feet. Work started early, we'd ride to the site at honokowai Eddie Style (in the bed of the truck) before the rising sun every morning. Upon arriving I was responsible to tending to everyones needs. I was mainly the responsibility of a giant of a man from Ohio named Joey. We unpacked the glass from the storage containers which were delivered daily, and run it on trolleys up to the various floors where it would later be installed. The glass was quite expensive which I found out just prior to breaking my first door. It cost $1200 usd. So Kula glass benefitted from a few days of having an aussie working for them for free. My strange accent, white skin, blonde hair and youth attracted the need for a nickname for this seemingly out-of-place boy. One of the Biggest native hawaiians on the sight was talking to me while using a jack hammer in one hand to make a groove in the ceiling of one of the Lanai's (balconies) and he said to be in his best Aussie accent "A dingo ate my baby", I laughed which produced a broad smile on his face, he then asked "Eh, so how'dat sound dingo?" From then on, I was dingo. it spread quickly and soon I had moved myself from the feet of this totem to it's calves.
No comments:
Post a Comment