I Aspire to a Hawaiian Shirt Attitude

I often find a life orientation or a spiritual posture reflected in an unexpected place. It may be that I am seeing what I want to see, but one of these places is in an article of clothing that personifies how I wish to approach the world.

I look for stories that exemplify this approach, and when I find one, I enjoy it. For example, a new season of the show Magnum P.I. has begun, with our Hawaiian shirt-sporting hero and friends. This show is a modern take on the 1980s classic starring Tom Selleck. The new version has a moral element and light humor that I enjoy.

A Hawaiian shirt invokes a certain attitude associated with warm weather, a lack of formality, and a fun-loving spirit. I prefer not just any Hawaiian shirt but a quality one that fits just right and has a bold pattern in colors that complement the wearer's skin tone; wooden buttons are a nice bonus. This combination embodies a magically laid-back attitude, one that I aspire to. I wish to wear life like a loose, flower-laden shirt.

This may be why I connect with stories that embody this frolicsome attitude. If I could personify the story I like, rip the heart out, and somehow morph the characters, voice, and feel into a person, that person would be wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

            My upcoming series consists of middle-grade books that encourage resilience and perseverance. This is done with a playful attitude, and friendship, all through the course of adventures. I do not believe in creating or consuming unnecessary stress. Books for tweens with positive themes should be a staple. We are all training our outlook with the people we spend time with, both real and imagined.

Maybe that’s why I love that shows like the current version of Magnum P.I. still exists. There is still a place for fun without the need for excessive fear or anger leveraged to ensure engagement. I find plenty of that to contend with in real life and do not wish to pack some extra stress into my psyche just before bed.

            How did this association with a life philosophy become entangled in an article of clothing? Along my path, a few good experiences connected these things in my brain.

I have never been to Hawaii, but I have been to the Polynesian at Disney World. Well, I didn’t stay at the resort, but I did eat grilled shrimp in the restaurant, and why not! One cannot go wrong with open flames and shellfish (unless you are allergic, then you have gone wrong).

            Entering the Polynesian, we were greeted by a young man tending the gate, politely making sure everyone entering belonged there. He was infectiously enthusiastic as he threw a hang-loose sign to the occupants of entering cars while giving warm greetings. Encountering people like this, I always note how an attitude like that powerfully affects others.

I still remember this moment that lasted less than a minute and happened over five years ago. Why is that? I saw an example of the attitude I strive to emulate demonstrated effortlessly. And the man demonstrating it was wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

            Inside, the food was great, in the way that adding enough salt and butter to just about anything makes it great. The live music was a surprise I was very excited about. A man was playing the ukulele and singing. Now I have played guitar and bass for many years, and at the time had recently picked up an entry-level ukulele.

The reason I ended up with a ukulele and therefore went to talk to this man started with a nightly tradition of driving an overly tired toddler around at night to help him calm down and fall asleep. I found that the best background music for this endeavor was Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. I had no idea how special these memories would become. I had a few more rounds of these late-night drives with the following kids, and now those times are forever connected to the music in my heart. I talked about the memory with a few of my kids years later. We were in my truck at the time, and they asked me to play the music again. They promptly pretended to fall asleep - smiling.

If you are unfamiliar, “Iz” was a native Hawaiian singer-songwriter and Hawaiian sovereignty activist with exceptional skill on the ukulele. The song that gained the most popularity in a widespread sense was a mash-up of “Somewhere over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World.” My favorites include Ka Hulia Wai and Ulili E.

I assume it had something to do with that, but I don’t remember for sure. The point is I came home with a ukulele one day. An instrument I have found capable of expressing only true feelings, such as love, happiness, longing, wonder, reverence, and sadness, while not suited for the less honest or secondary feelings, such as anger.

            At the time of my visit to the Polynesian, I had been attempting to learn to play and sing Ka Hulia Wai and knew no one that spoke Hawaiian. I had no one to ask how my accent was when singing the lyrics (I assume pretty bad, but I had no way of knowing). I approached the performer while he was on a break and asked him if he could tell me, and as soon as he heard I was trying to learn the ukulele, he exclaimed, “oh, wanna play mine?” handing a very nice Koa wood uku to me without hesitation.

            Another living example of the attitude I aspire to. This one was also wearing a Hawaiian shirt. I had a moment of brief enlightenment, and the memory was filed away.

            Years later, I think of him occasionally as I sit on the front porch, watching my kids play and strumming my ukulele. I remember the approach to life he and other examples like him have given me. Most people have something they do that puts their soul right. This is one of mine.

            Enthusiasm. Playfulness. Sharing. These are some of the traits represented in the Hawaiian shirt attitude I aspire to.