This month’s NaBloPoMo theme is change. Take a look over to the right under the NaBloPoMo Blogs list and say “hi” to the friends who are also blogging every day in January along with me.
It’s probably a good guess that this theme was inspired by Barack Obama’s campaign slogans “Change we can believe in” and “Change we need.” Whether or not that’s the case, it’s still a good theme for the first month of the year.
My own favorite quote regarding change is a lot older than the Obama campaign slogans. I grew up in Hawaii, and Hawaiian music remains a big part of my life and my personal soundtrack. It’s from a song by Olomana that was released in 1976 and has remained a favorite throughout the years, “Ku’u Home O Kahalu’u.”
I remember days when we were younger
We used to catch ‘o’opu in the mountain stream
‘Round the Ko’olau hills we’d ride on horseback
So long ago it seems it was a dream
It was so long ago for me, too. I grew up in Honolulu, so I grew up city, not country. It was still a beautiful place to grow up. Even if I didn’t have horses, I still had a mountain stream nearby.
Last night I dreamt I was returning
and my heart called out to you
But I fear you won’t be like I left you
Me kealoha ku’u home o Kahaluu
The family and friends I left behind in Hawaii did stay as I left them, in a lot of ways. I was the one who changed, and not always in ways that they, or I, expected.
I remember days when we were wiser
When our world was small enough for dreams
And you have lingered there my sister
And I no longer can it seems
Most of my family did stay there, or returned after a relatively short time away. I still hope to be able to return one day sooner rather than later. But there were many years that I, too, felt I could no longer linger in that small world. Honolulu is a pretty large city, but it’s really the second biggest small town in the country.
Here’s that part about change:
Change is a strange thing
it cannot be denied
It can help you find yourself
or make you lose your pride
Move with it slowly
as on the road we go
Please do not hold on to me
we all must go alone
The year this song came out is also the year I went far away from home. Those words came to my mind often that year, and many times over the years to follow. I don’t believe I’ve truly found myself even at this late stage, but I can say that I don’t feel I’ve ever lost my pride. I love my family and friends and I can always count on their support, but in the end, yes – “we all must go alone.”
I remember days when we were smiling
When we laughed and sang the whole night long
And I will greet you as I find you
With the sharing of a brand new song
Last night I dreamt I was returning
and my heart called out to you
To please accept me as you’ll find me
Me kealoha ku’u home o Kahaluu
“Please accept me as you’ll find me” – that’s all I can ask of anyone.
Take a listen to the song if you have a moment: