Pure Manaʻo

I was a super shy, cling on to my mama kid living in the shadows of a very young mother who was set on standing on her own after a horrible marriage and divorce and finding her barbaric roar. I think she used to go to Aikido back in Lahaina and at 25 (I was 6 or 7), I watched her take her black belt test at the Waialae Dojo. People came at her and she had to block them, submit them, throw them. It was the most badass show ever. I always wanted to go to Aikido, but the one time I tried, it was so scary I never went back, but I admire that kind of discipline and tenacity and wish that I intrinsically had that in me.  I think what I learned from her was a tenacity for self preservation and independence, but the discipline part still eludes me. I am hoping that by writing it down and saying it out loud through this medium, I hold myself accountable so here is why I want to do it and what I am trying to do. I had my chancellor for our university, Dr. Doris Ching, come and t...