Aloha

We’re off to Hawaii. I remember as a kid being fascinated by the notion that a word could mean both hello and goodbye: aloha in Hawaiian.

Different languages have different ways of making sense of the world, and I think this notion that hello and goodbye are related is good. Without leave taking there is no greeting. And unless there is a greeting, there can be no leave taking. This seems particularly apt in our current situation as we say goodbye to one part of our lives but hello to another.

We are also saying goodbye to ownings and furnishings. Hello to minimalism. These two bags hold everything I will be wearing in the next three months.

I am not crowing with pride. I know: I have money to buy temporary housing and supplement these goods if needed. Nevertheless, another opportunity to consider that old lesson, “What do you really need in your life?”