Lei Day

Last Friday marked May 1st and the beloved Hawaiian holiday, Lei Day. I had plans to attend the Lei Day celebration in Waikiki, but when it finally rolled around I was in a little bit of a funk. The last thing I felt like doing on this beautiful spring day was celebrating, but I made a plan and I was going to stick to it. When I arrived at the festivities on Waikiki Beach in front of the Royal Hawaiian and Outrigger hotels, I was greeted by a scene of smiling faces, as elegant women danced hula and a soft tropical breeze carried the scent of fresh plumerias. The charmed voices of Danny Kaleikini, Anuhea and other local musicians filled the air, as we paid tribute to the admired beach boys of Waikiki, past and present. I love these guys and girls; their warm grins and genuine salutations of "Aloha" make my day when I'm walking the beach in the 96815. Despite feeling a little down in the dumps, May 1st in my favorite place was turning out to be absolutely lovely. It was really hard to not be hopeful in this setting, no matter what I was going through. When a helicopter flew overhead and dropped hundreds of orchids on the crowd, I knew everything was going to be ok and not just on Lei Day.