Page 3 - MidWeek - March 1, 2023

Living Your Best Life Paulette Ito
those times, the birds learned plenty of new words. We didn’t mean to teach them new words, but they heard us swearing over and over when we tried to feed them and change their water.
At the time, it seemed like those birds were attacking us. However, reflecting back, I think they just wanted the kind affection my mom and dad gave them. We were aggressive kids, flicking them away and causing general mayhem in their cage when we tried to feed them. Strangely enough, those birds never repeated our harsh words around my parents.
Pet ownership provided companionship and purpose in my parents’ lives. Last
year, they adopted Mocha, an abused rescue dog. We believe she must have been abused by men because she will not go near men at all, and runs away when approached. But after a lot of careful dedication, she is finally responding positively and now looks forward to seeing my dad. She no longer shakes when other men enter the room. But, for now, my dad is the only male she trusts. She has completely taken over my parents’ couch and is well on her way to living her best life — while helping my parents live theirs.
Helping all Hawai‘i’s ‘ohana achieve their highest quality of
life possible is the main goal of the “Get Your House In Order” campaign, while reminding everyone of the importance of sound life-planning decisions. Finding your purpose and passion is part of GYHO. We want everyone in Hawai‘i to thrive and find their purpose. Finding your purpose is part of the legacy you can document in your Ho‘okele guidebook. Downloading and completing this guidebook will help you live your best life by celebrating and sharing who you are with your closest friends and family. The guidebook will also help you document your pet’s medication, veterinarian and health history.
The Ho‘okele guidebook is a personal planning booklet that contains legacy wishes, employment and retirement information, insurance and bank document locations, and vital contacts. Parts 1.1 and 1.2 of the Ho‘okele guidebook are now available at hificu.com/ GYHO. Download your copy today and start completing your booklet. Look out for Ho‘okele 1.3 and 1.4 in the coming quarters to complete the series.
For more information about the “Get Your House In Order” campaign, email us at GYHO@hificu.com. Also, tune in to KITV at 7 p.m. every Saturday to watch Get Your House In Order.
I grew up with plenty of pets. They were mostly dogs, but we’ve also had rabbits, birds, ducks, goats, chickens, fish, a cat and even a turkey. Full disclosure, the turkey only lasted two days. Once my mom found out that “Tom” was potentially our Thanksgiving meal, he was no longer welcome.
Pets are known to reduce stress, offer companionship and provide unconditional love. According to a 10- year study by the National Institutes of Health, interacting with animals has been shown to decrease levels of cortisol (a stress-related hormone), lower blood pressure, reduce loneliness and boost your mood.
But some pets can be a source of stress, can be expensive to take care of and may require a lot of maintenance. For those who choose to own a pet, it is important that they do so with eyes wide open, do their research and be prepared for the responsibilities that come with the benefits.
For my parents, it didn’t
matter what type of animal it was — they always opened their doors. My father was notorious for bringing home birds that fell from their nests. He loved to nurse them back to health and then release them. However, on one of his rescues, he decided to keep three newly born mynah birds. He and my mother fed them with eye droppers and devoted a lot of time to care for those hatchlings.
They even taught the birds to talk. When my parents walked into the room, the birds lit up and started mimicking their voices. They learned to say “I love you” when my mom walked nearby, and they would jump to the top of the cage and say “gimme a kiss” to which my mom would oblige. My dad even covered our pool table so the birds had room to frolic. Those birds basically owned our pool table. They were my parents pride and joy, and no pool was ever played on that table again.
When my parents went on vacation, us kids had to take care of all the animals. During
March 1, 2023 MIDWEEK 3
PAULETTE ITO
SVP Marketing
Hawaiian Financial Federal Credit Union
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