A TRIFECTA OF ALOHA

[schlomo]

A Trifecta of Aloha in Honolulu

Most of the injuries that I have incurred over the years have targeted the right side of my body. The other day was no exception. Near the end of my power walk, I tripped and fell onto the cement, lacerating my right knee and bloodying my right arm. A middle-aged man who had witnessed my plight helped me get up. As I grimaced from the pain, I told him how grateful I was for his assistance. After seeing how much blood was seeping out of my arm (compliments of my blood thinner medication), he suggested that I put firm pressure on the wound. I did so, using my left hand as a tourniquet. When I arrived at my condo, the blood was completely staunched.

The next day, I brought a bunch of pants into the dressing room at Nordstrom’s Rack. I was astonished when I found out that all of the doors were locked. Eventually, a clerk opened one of them for me. Instead of keeping the door open, I closed it and then trudged over to my wife so that she could inspect one of the selected trousers that I had just put on. When I returned to the dressing room, the door was again locked, as it was initially. Not being able to locate the keeper of the keys, I got a bit flustered.  A young man who saw my predicament offered to slide under the door and open it for me. I effusively thanked him for his help. After that, I made sure to leave the door open when I modeled any more slacks for my wife’s approval.

Today, another gracious person came to my rescue, this time in absentia. I took TheBus to a medical center. As I approached a bus stop on my way home, I vainly searched for my bus pass. I wasn’t sure where I had misplaced it; it could have fallen out of my pocket on the bus going to my doctor’s appointment. I might have lost it after getting off the bus. Perhaps it ended up at the doctor’s office itself or during my walk to the bus that returned to Waikiki. In any case, I figured that I’d have to apply for another senior bus pass, a laborious process that I wasn’t relishing.

But just as I got off the bus, I received a call from the receptionist. A patient had found my bus pass and returned it to the front desk. That person could have kept the pass and used it for at least six more months until it expired. Instead, the third Good Samaritan within a few days did me a favor.

From my experience, the kindness of strangers is one of the hallmarks of Hawaii. Long live the Aloha Spirit!