Mahalo

Poorly chosen love is fickle.

What a lesson to learn from a 15 year old hula dancer.

A Hula Ho’ike brought Hawaiian families from all over the country, to celebrate the beauty of dance. I was invited last minute, and am so very glad I went, as a 15 year old man-boy reminded me of why life goes on.

This lithe young boy in his circa 1970’s shirt, white old-man pants, with a green and yellow hula skirt over them looked all the world like a Hawaiian Napolean Dynamite. His dance began with the song that says ‘be careful in chosing your love, or you may end up with fickle love, and someone who doesn’t truly care.’

As he knee-knocked, gyrated, and shrugged, he also lithely illustrated with his skinny arms from his heart how that pointed heart was broken by some fickle girl, who didn’t understand the beauty of his hula, and didn’t stay with him when he was learning to dance.

His irregular face, and cock-eyed smile elaborated on how she left him behind for older, more handsome classmates, who didn’t dress in geeky shirts and didn’t practice knock-kneed dances for her distaste, and his pleasure. His single rhythmic arm from heart to sky showed his outlet of dance was the only thing left for him to love.

His spins turned faster and faster as his skirt flared out, and the once-geeky outfit became an extension of his body, and his mind, and his soul. A last single quick-stopped spin demonstrated such pain, and such redemption.

And just like Napolean, there was a second of silence, and then deafening applause. He smiled, shocked that we loved him so much. We applauded hard, but his smile broadened wider than ever at the conclusion, when we applauded until our palms hurt at the news that he had won first place with his hula creation in an international competition.

We all knew why he won. He had danced a universal truth. Without a single word spoken, we knew his heartache, and ours. He had shown to us that there is hope after rejection, hope after poorly given friendship and hope after someone leaves you, who doesn’t understand.

He walked off the stage redeemed. Into the wings, ready for some awaiting girl who rushed into his arms. Some girl who finally understood.