Karaoke

After our little reunion at the Buffet in Redlands, I took a nice long walk with my uncles and aunties.

There was so much that I didn't know about my uncle Elonie as he shared some stories of my mom's parents during the time that they ran the Orchid Ballroom on Oahu.

Later that night, my brother Oliver asked me if I wanted to go out with our cousins Tony and Kevin in Riverside.

I didn't know that we were gonna do any karaoke, but as usual I said what the hell right?

My cousin Kevin was so inspirational with his enthusiasm for karaoke and he sang two songs, while encouraging me to sing something. And as usual, what the hell right?

Scrolling through the list I noticed one... but kept looking for something else.

Kevin kept bugging me to pick something and finally he said the words that brought me to choose, which was "sometimes you just gotta rip the band aid off and do it cuz"

So I did...

I felt waves of compassion, ripping through my stage fright and an overwhelmed sense of gratitude for this very moment.

My brother and cousins cheering me on while recording it on their phones felt incredible as my self-consciousness became acceptance.

Why I chose to sing that song I don't know. But I do know that song has always meant something to me in the far reaches of my mind.

Aloha 🤙🏽