Mambo Kiboko: Hauoli Makahiki Hou

(I don't have snail mail addresses for all of you, so I thought I'd just post my year-in-review letter here to our groovy new blog. I had to do a little editing since it seems that exclamation marks are not allowed characters in our postings -- so you all will just have to insert you own enthusiasm/exclamations in the appropriate places.) CHEERS -- Koco

Mele Kalikimaka e Hauoli Makahiki Hou

Greetings as we near the close of 2007. It’s been several years since I’ve managed to do more than think about a year-end/holiday letter. (Somehowly, my ability to simply *think* things into being has not magically materialized.) I guess after 10+ years of doing them I got a bit lazy. But, here I am, back by popular demand, since a bunch of you’ve written or called to ask either: “What’s up with that?” or “Why’d you drop me from your list?” Also, I’ve fallen off some of your lists and have missed out on hearing your year-end tales as well. So indulge me and let this serve as an effort to get back in touch or get in better touch, whichever the case may be. I’ll ease back into the routine by doing a photo collage highlighting the last couple of years and keeping it light-hearted. I’ll spare you all the therapeutic insights of the last couple of years – at least in this letter -- if you want to have a good cry and an even better laugh you’ll have to come for a visit and we’ll share a tear and a loud guffaw over a hot cup of something or other. As for the photos, if there’s something that gets you wondering, you’ll just have to drop me a line and ask for an explanation! (Burning questions such as: Who are those outrageously cute kids? What’s with the green leaves? Did the wolf disguised as the Granny eat Little Red? Where’d you get that elephant?)

Here’s a very brief update. I am still based in Northern California (yes, the lovely LEFT coast). I still enjoy hula. I still have my house in Oakland – do my own garden/yard work, tiled my own guest shower, haven’t finished the upstairs bathroom. Work-wise I still divide my time between 1) supporting the Hawaii-focused and environmental do-good-weenie work of my philanthropist boss at the Pohaku Fund and 2) doing independent public health consulting work. My boss at Pohaku very generously allows me to take time off from assisting him so that I can do brief (and not so brief) stints overseas; most recently in Mozambique, but also in Tanzania* and several trips to India* in the last couple of years. This combination provides terrific balance for me particularly given the very hard-won lessons resulting from serious work-related burnout and the associated personal life neglect. The job/consulting combo lets me keep snacks in the d.o.g. Henry’s* mouth, keep both my plants and my friendships* alive, not get kicked out of hula*, and gratefully do work that matters to me and hopefully serves others.