nvs. Life, health, well-being, living, livelihood, means of support, salvation; alive, living; curable, spared, recovered; healed; to live; to spare, save, heal, grant life, survive, thrive. 

E pule wale nō i ka lā o ka make, ʻaʻole e ola.

Prayers uttered on the day of the death will not save one.

This was uttered by Lohiʻau to Hiʻiaka. If you know the moʻolelo (story) of Pele and Hiʻiaka, Pele sent Hiʻiaka  on a mission to fetch her dream lover, Lohiʻau. She traveled all the way from Halemaʻumaʻu to Hāʻena, only to find him dead when she arrived. She revived him (because you know women are THAT powerful, especially of the Pele clan) and brought him ALL the way to Hawaiʻi Island. To Pele. Only to have Pele kill him. He may have deserved it but I’m not gonna judge.

The gist of the ʻōlelo noʻeau – don’t procrastinate. Waiting until the last minute to pray pray pray is not going to save your life. It will not help you accomplish your goal. You want something done? You have got to work on it, day by day, until you reach your goal. You want to get the most of your OLA, your life. Go ahead. Look at the translation again for ola (right at the beginning of this post). Your goal is life, health, well-being. You want to be healed of all that ails you.

Can you tell I am now working for a health organization? YES! Dream job. I have always been passionate about health. And now it gets to be my life’s work, not only personally but also professionally!

So today’s post is really about being proactive in reaching your health goals, mostly through eating well (read into this: whole foods, plants based) and keeping your body and brain active through regular exercise. And then when something is wrong (and you know what I am talking about), don’t wait until the last minute to do something about it. Empower yourself. Do it now! I always think to myself in these instances, what would I want my mom or my own children to do? And then I do that.

On this Aloha Poʻalima, I wish you OLA (my last day focusing on this momi). As a Hawaiian, I take this gift of life very seriously. I struggle in some areas to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It is NOT easy. And so I educate myself, knowing that each little thing I  learn may help improve my quality of life and then I try to reign in family and friends to join me in my efforts to be healthy. It truly is a kākou thing. Won’t you join me?

E ola koa – Life like a koa tree. Reach high. Be strong. Live long.

What are you working on to improve your quality of OLA? Leave a comment below.