Page 4 - MidWeek - January 25, 2023

4 MIDWEEK JANUARY 25, 2023
“What book changed your life?”
W Having A Ball
e were recently blessed by another visit from my wife’s older brother, his wife and their 17-year-old daughter, Emily. They were here
this past Thanksgiving, and it was great spending time with my wife’s family, as they hail from Washington state. Their daughter is an avid club volleyball player who came to participate in the TransPacific Volleyball tournament. Teams from the mainland were on hand to play against our local girls teams, made up of some of the best players from
JUSTIN RATILLA
Communications Director, Pearl City
“Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. Reading it helped me understand the importance of having faith in God and it helped me sift through what I believe about being a follower of Jesus.”
JACIE MIYASHIRO
Teacher, ‘Aiea
“Chanel Miller’s Know My Name. I had never before read a book by someone half-Asian and half-white like me. Her book helped me feel empowered to speak up for myself.”
IRWIN SANTOS
IT Consultant, Kāne‘ohe
“The Power of Your Subconcious Mind by Joseph Murphy. It helped me assess my situation
at the time and provided practical techniques for mental healing along with methods to (move) forward in life.”
NAKISHA TAUVELA WALTRIP
Director of Operations, Pearl City
“The Harry Potter series sparked my obsession with books, and I loved that the main characters always walked through life with as much integrity as possible.”
their respective areas.
It was a three-day event held at Hawai‘i Convention Cen-
ter. They set up numerous courts side by side on the conven- tion floor. There were no spectator bleachers; rather, they set up individual chairs around the perimeter of each court. Talk about a sideline seat! I mean, you were right there next to the action.
In fact, when they served the ball, you’d have to lean back in your chair so as not to get in the way of the server’s swinging arm. It was exciting to watch, as family and friends cheered for their teams and players.
Ron Nagasawa
Director of Content / Supplement Products
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Regional Editor
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Staff Writer
Dennis Francis
President & Publisher
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Chief Revenue Officer
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Executive Editor
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Assistant Editor
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta
Senior Staff Writer
Karen Iwamoto
Senior Staff Writer
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Senior Photographer
Nicole Monton
Managing Editor
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Senior Creative Artist
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Creative Artist
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Senior Photographer
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Generosity Versus T Self-sacrifice
here is a children’s book called The Giving Tree that used to be my favorite. It is about a boy who loves a tree. As he grows older each time
he visits, the tree gives of herself to him — her apples to sell, her branches to make a house and finally her trunk to make a boat so he can sail away. In the end, the tree is nothing but a stump.
I loved it then because of the generous nature of the tree. Now, this story gives me a funny feeling as I don’t see it as generosity anymore, but as self-sacri- fice — two very different things. It was an unhealthy relationship! The boy was a taker. Self-sacrifice is not sustainable. To me, true generosity is about sharing with others without depleting yourself.
alice@yourhappinessu.com
Our daughter’s boyfriend’s younger sister, Annie, was also in the tournament, so we had even more to cheer about. We spent the entire weekend going from Emily’s games to Annie’s games on all three days.
The energy in the room was fantastic, and games were happening simultaneously while a DJ blared heart-pumping music over the loudspeakers. It was in Emily’s first game that I got a taste for what this was going to be like for the next three days. My wife and I were lucky to grab seats at the end of the court behind the ball service area. What I didn’t real- ize at the time was that I was seated directly in harm’s way. Suddenly, the volleyball would fly straight at me and I would have to duck or swat the ball away. I suddenly experienced a kind-of PTSD.
I was mentally transported back to my seventh-grade PE class with Mr. Lee. The game was dodgeball and by nature of my body composition, I was the main target. That’s right, I was the “fat” kid. I wasn’t used to being called that, as my mom said that I wasn’t fat, just chubby or husky.
I hated that game, naturally, but through sheer survival got pretty good at dodging those flying red rubber balls. Soon, I was running circles around those alpha players, even mock- ing them when they missed me.
So, it turns out playing dodgeball wasn’t the worst thing about Mr. Lee’s PE class. No, the worst thing was having to hit the locker room and taking a group shower where being the fat kid was confirmed.
rnagasawa@midweek.com