Page 2 - MidWeek - Jan 4, 2023

2 MIDWEEK JANUARY 4, 2023
Da Hardest Ting Eva!
“Are kids here to make us crazy?” — Anonymous parent
When Nothing = Something
Isquatted on the con- crete driveway chew- ing the fat with Mamo, my brother-in-law, while he tinkered with his car.
hat’s the true cost of doing nothing? What’s the real bottom line on delaying decisions? Holding yet more meetings? Adding discussions, committee analyses,
He said: “Ya know, I neva knew how hard it was to raise kids until ...
da dinna an give baby one bath. And if two of da kids fight I gotta be da referee.
legal hearings, red herrings and community input? Often, even when a decision is rendered, action is not taken, as someone forgot to inform someone, egos conflict or something came up that wasn’t considered.
“When our kids was small my wife use to grumble about dis or dat, an I use to tink, ‘Cheeze! Wats da big deal?’ I mean wats so hard about changing diapers or feeding da kids? I use to tink she was making a mountain out of a molehill! But now dat I’ m taking care of my grandkids, I’ m finding out dat raising kids ain’t dat easy! In fact, it’s da hardest ting I eva had to do!
“I like my wife come home so she can help out, but wen she come home, she always grumbling, ‘You no do noting around here!’ She tinks I’ m sitting around all day watching TV.
Such is the case locally ad nauseam. But maybe 2023, with some redirection at various government levels, might alter that. Delays or redundant decisions followed by after-the-fact contra- dictions and followed by more talk and little action is legendary locally. Maybe 2023 will be different.
The author’s brother-in-law relays the joys and lessons when raising kids.
What was the price of delaying habitable temperatures in far too many classrooms statewide for 40-plus years? Conditions so inhumane that the SPCA would have been called in if you left a dog in a 95-degree Leeward or Windward classroom. Finally, we witnessed upgrades and retrofits — and, who knows, maybe bet- ter teaching and learning will result from negating stultifying air.
whereeva I go!
“I used to try take a nap
soIwakeherupanshe come all cranky! I gotta pack up her bag, da diapers, powder, juice, extra clothes an all dat kine stuff. Man, bydatimeIpickupdabig kid and come home, I’ m pooped!
“Just like my tutu used to tell me, you gotta walk in someone’s slippahs before you talk stink.
What’s the price been of doing virtually nothing on the Thirty Meter Telescope project for years now? Legitimate questions, long-standing cultural issues unresolved — and real discussion is just now occurring. Maybe 2023 will be different.
‘Bye!’ wen dey left. Was so nice.
“One time da big kid sprinkled laundry soap all ova da carpet while I was sleeping. ‘Grandpa, look! Snow!’ And den da house is all upside down!
“Befo if I hadda run to da store was no big deal. I just pack up eveyting. Cannot leave da baby in da car even tho I jus going get ony one ting! Afta dat, I gotta cook
Linda Tagawa is a retired schoolteacher, and enjoys writing about island life.
Chasing The Light is produced by Robin Stephens Rohr and Lynne Johnson.
What’s the cost of the can-kicking down the political road with the Waikīkī Natatorium War Memorial, a rotting relic built to honor men and women who fought for this territory and the United States during World War I? Is 40 years not enough time to remove rebar and remake this dilapidated entity something invoking pride?
New Century Schoolbook bold (scaled H 73.6)
with Linda Tagawa
What’s the real price tag for delaying and then finally doing something about the Windward Stairway To Heaven? Again, 40-plus years might be a blip along the space-time continuum, yet it seems an absurdly long window in which to avoid re- sponsible decision-making. A new landfill, prison and stadium district; beach erosion options; North Shore parking; an alter- native driving route for Leeward commuters; truly affordable housing — they’re all discussed, planned, dissected, needed and invariably stalled or ignored.
KELLEY
“When I retired, hoo! Wen my grandkids came ova, I jus loved it. I jus said, ‘Hi!’ when dey came, an
wen da kids wen sleep; but if dey get up befo me, dey get into all kine trouble.
“Like I said before, rais- ing kids ain’t easy. And, ya know, it’ da most important ting I eva did.”
“But now, since my wife wen back to work, I gotta take da grandkids
“Sometimes, da baby asleep and it’s time fo pick up da big kid from school,
It’s now 2023, and with a new year comes renewed optimism. People rarely “simply” lose 50 pounds, yet they can strive to lose 5 pounds at a time, showing progress, gaining confidence, making the difficult (if not impossible) more plausible via small wins. Kaizen. Let us cheer as ever-present, dangling particulars reach resolution and see action this year. Yes, sometimes doing nothing really is doing something — just not what we’d hoped for. Maybe 2023 will be different.
Please, think about it.
john@thinkaboutithawaii.com