Talk Story: “Aloha: What does it mean to you?”
Looking back at Maui from a Whale Watching Boat
This is an essay skill contest and will be judged on the following parameters by an impartial panel of judges from community leaders:
40% Creativity
40% Persuasiveness
20% Grammar/English
Your essay must be 100 words or less and should be about “Aloha: What does it mean to you?”
We’ve found Maui to be a happy place, loaded with a smiling, free-wheeling, laughing people, a melting pot of many races, creeds and cultures, all wrapped up in and embracing a long standing, deeply held conviction - the concept of “Aloha.”
Aloha includes a multitude of meanings, ranging from the most well known - Aloha means both “hello” and “goodbye” to its most basic, primordial incarnation, literally translated, defined as, “the breath of life.”
You may find a wonderful page discussing some of the spiritual aspects of Aloha at this link.
It can be said that when there is Aloha in your heart that there is no Fear, especially no fear of repercussion. Aloha can be about self-esteem, being born in goodness, good intention that is contagious and infectious. Abundance, reaffirmation.
This is what a baby pineapple looks like! Look close and you can see a gecko hiding! This pineapple was grown in the yard of the contest home.
It’s a wonderful word, liberating, empowering, encapsulating the love of other people, and the desire to have good relationships with them. It’s something you give first, and then magically, you experience receiving it. You cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without also illuminating your own. Aloha in its purest form is unconditional love of who you are. There is no one else like you. It can function as a source of energy. When you suddenly realize that your aloha is like a bottomless well within you, new energy is created, and you gain a brand new lease on life.
And this is the basis for the essay we’re asking you to write that will wow our team of judges — knock their socks off! We want you to write from the bottom of your heart, with total sincerity, about what Aloha means to you. How its qualities may affect you (and/or your family) where you are at in life now, and/or how you will transport the spirit of aloha to Maui from other parts of the world, whether you’ve visited Hawaii before, or hope to come here for the first time and discover this warmth and spirit.
Feel free to tell us at the same time why you want a home on this Island, and how will it change your life - maybe you live on another island, where it’s more hectic (Oahu), and are looking to kick back, enjoy the slower pace here, or are coming from another island (Molokai, Lanai), and you want to pick up the pace a bit. You can tell us whether or not you’ve even ever felt aloha as it’s described above. Maybe you are from a place altogether different, the polar opposite of Hawaii, say, a town nestled deep in snowpacked mountains, somwhere in Alaska. We want to hear about that too, because there are no wrong answers.
The scent of beautiful flowers fills the air in Maui.
But there are parameters. We expect good grammar, proper use of language, and punctuation, just like those teachers from grade school to college did. That counts for 20% of your total score. And then there’s Creativity at 40%, and Persuasiveness, another 40%.
Because in the end, this contest IS all about SKILL in sharing your personal narrative and connecting with the reader. They describe the process here in a colorful, local lingo used to communicate between cultures called “pidgin”, and we invite you to get comfortable and “talk story.” A conversation between the writer and the audience that regales and delights, make us feel what you feel.
In 100 words or less make us laugh, cry, chuckle, wonder, smile, shake our heads, and swell our hearts. Please avoid profanity, sexual or political rants, and other bad joo-joo – try to keep the writing within the bounds of good taste. Rather, tell us how you feel, what you want out of this new future. Like a famous author once advised, “Write what you KNOW.”
A Jacaranda tree blooms in "Upcountry" Maui.
We’re looking forward to hearing from each and every one of you. Don’t be afraid to let it all hang out, as each essay entry will be assigned a control number so that the team of Judges have no idea of the name, race, creed, geographical location, and any other feature that might identify the author. And you can enter as many times as you like, as long as you are age 18 or older (except where void or there is a higher age of majority), & forward the fee along with each entry, and we hope that you top your writing with each new essay. If you have any questions, please check the FAQ pages first, and then email a staffer HERE. We’ll try to get back to you within a reasonable time frame.
And so, as the sun sinks slowly in the west, transforming our kitchen window into a blazing multi-colored high definition video display - starring Maui, voted the best Island in the world for 12 years now (by travellers in Conde Nast), we reach for a beverage, this time a “Mai Tai,” and say:
Mahalo (Thanks!) and Aloha,
Welcome Home!
The staff of WinMauiHome.com
MEDIA CONTACT (805-712-9763)