Page 2 - MidWeek - May 26, 2021

2 MIDWEEK MAY 26, 2021
IBack To Life
hen we moved to Kahalu‘u, our new home was
t’s subtle, but perhaps you sense it, too. We’ve been detached, away, not present for so long now that we’re going to have to relearn how to interact. A prolonged
defined by the greenery, and, of course, the wildlife — pri- marily the feral chickens. My brother and I wanted to buy our own chickens to play with, and my mom wanted them for their eggs.
come merely an added benefit to owning chickens. The real pleasure has been in raising them as our own and in hold- ing them close. This journey was not only about raising chickens, but about learning that with dedication and care, you can find endless beauty in the world around you. Taking care of another creature can lead to unmeasurable joy.
crisis will do that to some people — make them defensive, self-absorbed, even oblivious. It was about survival for many, and it makes some sense.
Our family planned to go the following Sunday to our local feed store to adopt some baby chicks and start this big adventure. The night before, I went to sleep excited and woke up overwhelmed by the joy of it all.
An Extraordinary Encounter
“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”
W— Anatole France
CHASING THE LIGHT
with
Lily Hannah Engle
But now, let’s remember to stay interested and involved with conversations. Let’s not allow our minds to wander so quickly. Let’s ask questions like interested people used to. The sun did shine over the past 16 months, but maybe just now we’re seeing the light of optimism and can thus start to act accordingly again.
Raising baby chicks taught the author that caregiving can provide a gift of immeasurable joy.
People have been caught up in their own worlds, melo- dramas, daily statistics and fears, and understandably so. As hybrid workplaces begin to flourish, perhaps the effects of being Zoom zombies will wear away. Some might’ve lost a bit of that knack for simply being involved with others, but will now venture forth into a morphed world that we displaced while in our universal timeouts. We’ve been cooped up for far too long, and we understand why, but we’re now realizing a gradual reclamation of normalcy ahead, with our strong, local belief system steeped in values of pono, mālama, laulima, ha‘aha‘a and aloha.
At the store, the chicks were arranged by breed. They slept, tread on each other and wandered around. Always soft-hearted for the smallest and least adjusted, I careful- ly picked up one bumbling outsider, gently ran a finger over her, a craved moment of
baby chicks into the warm, hay-strewn box. We couldn’t stop watching them, and I kept a special eye on mine, whom I named Camilla, which fit my delicate chick.
were able to hop into my lap from the ground and settle happily. They prove to be en- tertaining companions.
And as has been so elo- quently said, “Caregiving often calls us to lean into love we didn’t know possible.”
It’s time (post-vaccine, sans masks) to breathe more freely and reconnect with co-workers, friends, family, neighbors and associates. We can (carefully) move beyond the staid realm of distancing, vaccination discussions, coronavirus protocols, tiers of acceptable socialization, and start behaving like our old selves by reengaging the world beyond our own bubbles.
Once home, we loaded
When they were old enough to jump and fly, they
However, eggs have be-
contact. Baby chicks were as sweet and soft as I’ d always imagined.
Wyan was rascally. Sage, doe-eyed and passive. Baby chicks are as active and at- tention seeking as any puppy. Earning their trust required focus and time, but we were soon rewarded.
My girl, as I refer to Camil- la, is grown now. She shed her yellowy down and has grown a long, elegant black plume. Wyan, who we thought was actually a rooster, was the first to lay. Sage’s eggs are a bright blue. Chickpea has yet to start, but we expect will soon and excitedly await that day.
Lily Hannah Engle is a Punahou School student, who won the 10th-grade Eddie Aikau essay contest this year.
Chasing The Light is pro- duced by Robin Stephens Rohr and Lynne Johnson.
New Century Schoolbook bold (scaled H 73.6)
KELLEY
You’re still here. You’ve survived the worst communal threat to our species in modern times. While safety precau- tions remain in place for an undetermined amount of time, the vital vaccines offer hope and a gradual return to pre-COVID civility and focus.
Many people here still struggle. We must continue support- ing and volunteering to help those less fortunate. We must open up our empathetic souls as we emerge from our caves after 16 months of hunkering down.
The sometimes innocuous, mundane, daily conversations we put on hiatus as we all dealt with an insidious and invisible foe can reappear. Pandemic panic is abating here as people get antibodies and act less antisocial. So yes, I promise to be fully engaged now as you regale me with hyperbolic banter about that incredible par save you made on the 15th hole last Saturday.
Think about it ...
john@thinkaboutithawaii.com