I received a belated birthday congratulatory text a few days ago from a friend who asked, “You doing ok? I heard you’ve lost some weight.” *Note – if you’re not interested in the personal reflections stuff just skip down to the nitty gritty rip-and-shred policy discussion in bold below.

But for those of you who are interested, the short answer is I’m not just “ok” but probably in better shape and healthier than I’ve been in years. On April 11, 2023 I began a journey which I wrote about earlier, and I’ve continued on that journey which translates loosely to eating healthy food, getting out of my chair, and walking 10,000 steps – every day.

To be clear it’s not about getting skinny, it’s about feeling good, and I feel great. At 70 years old, my life has been good, and I’m looking forward to the coming decade. Here’s that birthday story if you missed it 😉

Eating right and exercise. Yes, I know it sounds like a cliché but that’s it.

My meals over the past 8 months have been mostly plant-based and every day it gets closer to being straight vegan. It’s also zero alcohol, zero added sugar, and mostly zero processed foods. And I love it!

My exercise consists of 10,000 steps per day, at least 5 days per week. If I am traveling or not feeling great, I don’t push it. Listening to my body is important.

On Friday, I walked from behind Kintaro’s restaurant in Wailua, along the coastal walking path to Kapaa Town, to Kountry Kitchen, through down-town, then back along the beach, returning to my starting point and trusty-rusty 2001 Toyota pickup truck.

According to my iPhone I did 12,148 steps, which equals about 5.99 miles – all in a 90 minute morning stroll along the coast of one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

And yes, I love every minute of it. Sometimes it’s challenging to “get out the door” but once I start walking I love it.

My body moves at a leisurely pace, while my mind races through the events, challenges, and stresses of the moment. Basically, while I walk I figure things out, get clear on my “things to do list”, vet ideas, explore strategies, and debate in my mind a wide host of topics.

On this day, prior to heading out the door, I read in the Honolulu StarAdvertiser that Senator Dela Cruz, Chair of the Ways and Means Committee (WAM), was proposing to balance the budget by reducing the amount of money now spent on public education. In other words, short-change our kids instead of raising taxes on hotels, tourists, rich investors, real estate speculators and others who can afford to pay more.

So, on this day, I spent the first 20 minutes of my walk mentally and angrily shredding the Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee (WAM), Senator Donovan Dela Cruz.

Then, “the penny dropped” and I reminded myself the entire WAM committee and ultimately the House Finance Committee and Chair Representative Kyle Yamashita is also responsible. I then (in my mind while walking) started strategizing how to get the word out to encourage people to contact these guys – and talk some sense into them.

All this intensive internal dialogue occurred between Kintaro’s restaurant and the Kapaa library.

By the time I turned the corner at the halfway point, I’d figured it out and the remaining part of the walk was much more restful 😉

I sit here at home now on my trusty 10 year old PowerMac, telling the story and hoping to enroll you the reader into helping by contacting your State Senator and Representative. Find out who that is, and their contact info here: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/fyl/

The message to them is simple – “Don’t do it. Don’t short-change our students”

Balancing the budget on the backs of our public schools will hurt our children. There are a multitude of other ways to raise the money and balance the budget. Cutting education or other essential services is unacceptable.

Thank you to the reader for getting this far. Please join me in this journey and take that next step with me – send the email, make that call, then get up, get off the chair, and go outside and take that walk! Check your phone for the health app that will help you keep track…set your steps goal at a level you’re comfortable with and then every day…just do it. Note: I know that walking is not easy nor perhaps even possible for some – if that’s the case – perhaps find another way to just get your body in motion and sustain that motion for a few more minutes every day.

Love to all…take care of yourself, your ohana, and our collective community.

Sincerely,

Gary Hooser
P.S. If you’re wondering “who the heck is this guy” here’s a short bio: https://www.garyhooser.com/about If you want to drill down deeper – read this short piece I wrote some 35 years ago entitled “I don’t want to be Donald Trump anymore” (can’t make this stuff up). And if you’re curious about what keeps me awake at night – read here my missive “Leave Jeffrey alone”.