Hawaii Living

I have always found the outrigger canoe paddles beautiful. I grew up seeing them in most of my friends homes, hanging on their walls like art.

I have developed a desire to collect them. The few I have, are in constant use, so they don't have time to be admired on my walls.

But I think I prefer to see them at the beach with all my friends as we take them to adventure in the ocean.

Wishing for sunshine, and many new adventures!

Aloha,
Maile Mitchell-Akita
@mailemmm
HawaiiLegacyBuilders.com

Almost Addicted

My boys have both started their adventures in outrigger canoe paddling. I'm certain I'm more excited than they are. 

The moment my older son got out of the canoe after his first practice, the grin that spread across his face, said it all. "This is awesome! My mom was right, I'm so happy she insisted I give paddling a try. She is the best mom in the whole world!" Okay, maybe he wasn't thinking all those thoughts, but a mom can dream. ;-)

I am thrilled that they actually like it. The first time I got into a canoe, it truly took me by surprise at how much fun it was. Of course, this is a team activity and good attitudes and a shared love of a wonderful sport you can do on the water together, makes a difference. Actually that is true in anything. 

Always look to the positive. It wastes your time to dwell on negative thoughts. Help others and live a life of compassion. That is the heart of any team player. 

If you wish for everyone to be better than you, and you help them achieve their best effort, your team does even better, and ultimately you benefit also. It's not about being better than anyone else, but about being the best you! 

There is no "I" in team! We all know this, yet, people create drama out of jealousy or poor thoughts. Give yourself and everyone else peace. And just help everyone! That does not mean telling anyone what to do, but showing them how. You create a giving legacy of paying it forward each time you share your knowledge and your gifts with others.

Hawaii Legacy Builder's, is founded on helping others achieve success by being a network of knowledgable and gifted individuals in many diverse fields of expertise. We help you find solutions and connect you to other people and networks, ultimately creating beneficial relationships with greater networks. 

We charge nothing, and if you need help, we are more than happy to offer our resources to helping you achieve success. Wishing you many blessings in every area of your life.

Love and Aloha,

Maile Mitchell-Akita

@mailemmm

HawaiiLegacyBuilders.com

Aloha Friday

Waking up before sunrise is never easy. My eyes want to stay shut and the thought of leaving my comfy bed is near unthinkable. The strategically placed phone with my alarm clock app, insists I move to make it stop.

Half an hour later, the sky is streaked with brilliant orange, red, and a golden sunrise that is calling me to venture outdoors.

I soon find myself walking up the path to my favorite beach, and my fellow paddling friends have also  arrived.

Moments later we are far off shore and paddling a mini armada of outrigger canoes into the beautiful bay. We take our first break after 15 minutes or so, and take a look around at the most stunning view of Hawaii.

Waking up early was so worth it! This is my favorite way to start the day!

My next goal, is to get my kids addicted to waking up to the  awesomeness of our beautiful world.

Blessings for the day: a happy seal sleeping on the sand at the Mokulua's and a baby honu (turtle) that popped its head up next to our canoe.

Love the always clear water showing off its many colorful coral beds and just a few waves to surf make paddling one of my favorite sports.

Wishing you a fabulous adventure in your own life. Enjoy every moment!

Love and Aloha,
Maile Mitchell-Akita
@mailemmm
HawaiiLegacyBuilders.com

Hokule'a

Today I lived history. Hawaii's ambassador on the ocean, Hokule'a arrived in Kailua Bay. An armada of canoes went to greet her and escort her safely to shore.

We transported her crew with the help of multiple canoes to the sands of Kailua beach.

Conch shells blew and a hula Halau chanted a beautiful Hawaiian greeting. The crew of Hokule'a also chanted a response. It was Hawaii's cultural traditions brought back to life once again.
I was so impressed with how many people were there to be apart of this beautiful ceremony.

Exciting to know they will do it again when they depart Kailua bay and arrive at their next destination in Waimanalo. I'm honored to have the opportunity to dance with my hula Halau in Waimanalo in a few days and be apart of this cultural ceremony.

Today, I paddled with my paddling Halau, Lanikai Canoe Club and was so happy to see my friends from Kailua Canoe Club,  as well. There were other canoe clubs out there today, forgive me, I didn't get a chance to meet them. I hope all the canoe club's around the island participate if they have the chance.

It was magical to be on the ocean with Hokule'a surfing along the waves next to our fleet of canoes. Grateful for such a wonderful opportunity.

This was a moment in my life, I won't soon forget.

Wishing you many blessings. Live every moment of your life.

Love and Aloha,
Maile Mitchell-Akita
@mailemmm
HawaiiLegacyBuilders.com

Live Your Life!

As a parent, you always want to put your children first. I did that for many years. As they grew older, I realized forcing them into sports or other activities wasn't fair if I wasn't doing it to.

A few years back, my boys and I started learning jujitsu. After doing that for a while, we were kind of burnt out. I still miss it tho, and hope to return later, but my boys needed to be outdoors and not in the dojo.

We started biking and hiking at the beginning of their summer vacation, and I really wanted to be active on the water. Thought I would get them into surfing, they weren't as excited about that as I was, and I begged them to sign up and try outrigger canoe paddling.

They said no, but I signed myself up anyway. I said, if I hate it, you don't have to do it, but if I like it, you have to at least give it a try also. They did agree! I'm holding them to it, as I have become addicted to paddling. My next new toy has to be an OC1, problem is, there are so many out there and I would need 3.

My older son has promised to try paddling with his classmates for his high school in just a few weeks. I'm planning on signing up my younger son in a kids winter program.

The best part of canoe paddling is that its a team sport and you make so many friends. People are always happy at the beach and practice usually finished around sunset. Watching sunsets on the beach after a great workout with all my friends is my favorite memory of my summer. Now, I'm looking forward to spending my beach days with my boys.

Life is truly sweet. Each day is a gift. Enjoy every moment and live your life.

Wishing you many blessings.
Love and Aloha,
Maile Mitchell-Akita
@mailemmm
HawaiiLegacyBuilders.com

Wa'a Blessings

I am honored and blessed to be a part of an amazing team of women and a prestigious canoe club. This year Lanikai celebrates 60 years of perpetuating this ancient Hawaiian tradition. I have absolutely fallen in love with canoe paddling. I miss it terribly when I'm not on the ocean. So grateful to live in such a beautiful place and have amazing friends to learn and grow in this fabulous sport.

Tomorrow we bless our canoes. They are the most important team member as we compete in this year's regatta season. 

Go Lanikai! Although truly, I deeply respect all my fellow paddlers from all the canoe clubs around Hawaii and elsewhere. We paddle and keep this Hawaiian tradition alive and can continue to pass it down to the next generations. I am honored to be a part of it. Aloha nui loa.

Some history:

The outrigger canoe or wa‘a, was held in high regard since it had the responsibility of returning men, women, and children home safely from ke kai (the sea). 

The wa‘a was so important to the Hawaiian people that each wa‘a was considered part of their ‘ohana(family) and was treated as such.  Just as important was the inoa (name) given the wa‘a.  

Ho‘ola‘a wa‘a (Canoe Blessing)

Traditionally, nā wa‘a kino (canoe hulls) were fabricated from Koa trees and their ama (outrigger) were fabricated from the wiliwili-pua and the nā ‘iako (booms) were fabricated from the hau tree (sea hibiscus).  These pieces were all lashed together using aha (Sennet made from coconut fiber) that was braided into flat cord. 

The Hawaiian people believed that everything had mana (a living spirit or super natural energy).  The Hawaiian ancestors taught that when a koa tree had fallen and died, it took on another life, a continued spirit called lā‘au mana.  Therefore, when we bless a canoe we start by asking the koa tree from which the wa‘a was carved - for forgiveness in taking the trees life.  

We also thank the forest from which the tree came from for allowing us to give its child a new life as a wa‘a.  

This wa‘a is a gift from Aku (God) so we bless it.  We also bless the wa‘a to celebrates its birth.  From this point on, we consider it the seventh voyager of a six kanaka canoe.  

We thank Aku (God), nā aumakua (the ancestors), Lono, the demigod of fertility which allowed the tree to grow, and Kanaloa the demigod of ke kai (the sea) for allowing us to paddle our wa‘a on his skin.

Today the majority of wa‘a are fabricated from modern composites.  However, we still bless the canoes to pay our reverence to tradition and we still treat them as if they are part of our ‘ohana.  

Many blessings to you.

Love always,

Maile

@mailemmm

@hilegacybuilder

http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html

http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/mailemitchellakita.html

Dream Come True

Before dawn my alarm went off, and jumping out of bed, it was a chilly sixty-six degrees. That's what my iphone weather app said anyway. The trade winds blowing in the window, chilled me to my bones.

The thought of changing into a swimsuit and going to the beach, seemed insane. Forty-five minutes later, I was walking on the cold sand.

Fifteen minutes after that, I was paddling a canoe with six other lovely paddlers and being splashed with icy water.

It took another twenty minutes until my body was so numb from the adrenaline pumping through my system. Cold no longer mattered, I could only focus on my timing with my other paddlers and feel the pull of the canoe in the water.

It was only an hour, and we were back on shore. We wished each other a nice day and went on our separate ways.

I still can't believe that it all happened. Pinch me, I might still be dreaming. This is such a dream come true for me. I can't believe I waited so long to do things I love.

Don't wait like I did! Go out and live your dreams, even if you have to wake up a little earlier than normal, it will be worth it.

Wishing all your dreams come true!
Sending light and love always.
Aloha,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/mailemitchellakita.html