Page 2 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - Nov 3, 2021

2 HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK NOVEMBER 3, 2021
IAre You Open-minded?
f you have ever described yourself as an “open-minded person,” how do you know if you truly are? If you’re curious, I’ve thought
of a few characteristics that determine degrees of open-mindedness in individuals.
First, an open-minded person listens to opinions that differ from their own and reflects on them, versus only listening to opinions that confirm they are right. Second, they choose people to befriend based on similarities of their values rather than the similarities of their beliefs. Finally, open-minded people approach disagreement as an opportunity to grow, not as an opportunity to defend their stance and their ego.
alice@yourhappinessu.com
To Sing In Rattlesnake Fields
“The person who risks nothing ... may avoid suffering and sorrow, but ... simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, live, and love.” — Leo Buscaglia
CHASING THE
LIGHT
with Rüdiger “Rudy” Herzing Rückmann
Years ago, my sister and I ran through a valley of tall grass chasing butterflies on an end- less summer day. Our singing and boundless laughter broke through the silence of the vast field surrounded by the well- worn mountains of Appala- chia.
Our mother, up the hill from the field at our grandparents’ home, heard her children’s elation. She descended a steep dirt driveway, espied us, and stood stock-still against a backdrop of pine trees. We could see her face was frozen, her lips struggling to move, but she could not speak. Con- fused, we ran toward her, breathless and anticipating her embrace. After she hugged us longer than usual, she was able to find her words: “Nev- er play in that field again. You could have fallen right onto rattlesnake nests.”
After playing in grassy fields potentially wrought with rattlesnake nests, the author learned that much of life is being able to balance courage with caution.
the journey before her; to re- spect boundaries but appreciate limitless possibilities; to learn to hold back but not be afraid to pass through dark forests to find bright fields — where she can sing with abandon.
Rüdiger “Rudy” Herzing Rückmann is a Quaker, poet and director of advancement at Hawai‘i Youth Symphony.
Chasing The Light is pro- duced by Lynne Johnson and Robin Stephens Rohr.
decades, even after feeling ready to enter the vast fields of college, careers, marriage and parenthood, our joy has always been leavened with caution.
moved to Hawai‘i. My hus- band and I navigate the daily risks we are willing to take. In-person learning? Only af- ter being vaccinated. Playing with other children outdoors? Possibly, with her mask. Eating inside a restaurant? Not for a while.
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Life changed for my sister and me in that moment. For
Caution hangs over us still, well into the second year of the pandemic. My daughter, not yet a teenager, born with an extra chromosome and having already overcome obstacles, wants to resume exploring the world she has known more than half her life since we
Of course, we know that as parents, we have a long road ahead. We will need to teach our daughter to balance be- ing alert for rattlesnake nests with courageously savoring
Fill in the blank cells using numbers 1 to 9. Each number can appear only once in each row, column, and 3x3 block. Use logic and process of elimination to solve the puzzle. The difficulty level ranges from Bronze (easiest) to Silver to Gold (hardest). Answers are on page 11
RATING: BRONZE