Ladies and gentlemen of Hawaii ’s class of 2010…
Eat rice.
If you only pay attention to one thing I say, pay attention to this:
Rice is the breakfast of champions … the lunch of champions … the dinner of champions. Whole empires, entire dynasties have been built and fortified on its humble food.
One grain, by itself, is nothing. Just an embarrassing sticky white t’ing stuck on your T-shirt after lunch. But many grains together – that’s greatness! It is the foundation of a Spam musubi, the heart of a thousand plate lunches, the force behind the global kingdom of L &L drive ins.
Rice holds the world together. Be a part of the world.
Be a part of the future.
Eat rice.
That said, the rest of what I am going to say is just my opinion.
You will have bad days.
Some day you going be the dog, some days you going be the tree. Wish wasn’t, but that’s the way it is.
Take a lesson from Furlough Fridays. Got a money problem? Don’t take it out on the kids.
And brah … vote! Okay? There’s an election coming up. No excuses. Just do it. This is your country. Own it.
You know the saying: If you have lemons, make lemonade. That’s true. But a bittermelon will never become a honeydew. The moral of the story: If can, can. No can, no can.
Some Hawaii folks have an inferiority complex. Don’t be like that. Consider this: Last year, our state produced BOTH a president AND a saint.
Not all malassadas are made perfectly round. So what. The purpose of a malassada is not to look good, it’s to taste good. Remember that.
Don’t sneeze when you eat saimin.
Take your face out of Facebook, okay? At least for a little while. Real faces are better anyway. So are real books. Read one. Or two.
Buy a newspaper. Only get one left. If you don’t, that one going be gone – along with the Longs ad forever.
Recycle your graduations leis before they become ma-ke. Care homes could all use some extra flower power.
And remember, you live on the most beautiful spot on earth. Malama the ‘aina. Respect the land, respect the water, respect the air, respect all life. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.
Slow down. Walk more. Drive less. The less you drive, the more you’ll see.
Give at least one can of tuna to the food bank. Don’t strive to be mediocre. Be great. Go for the gusto. If you want to climb a mountain, pick Mauna Kea . Not Red Hill.
Learn to play the ukulele. Memorize the words of Hawai’i Pono’i. Make your own lei. Go to the Merrie Monarch Festival. Tour ‘ Iolani Palace . Walk around Punchbowl. Buy local. Eat local. Wear local. Support Hawaiian music.
And no forget, thank our military personnel.
Above all, eat rice.
If you have diabetes, make that brown rice.
Thanks to Jim Travlos for sharing this with me. Don’t know who Frank Delima is? Watch this video of him performing “What, June Jones, You Gon’ Leave Us Now?” It even has a small shout-out to Texas:
