Call me smitten.
Some rare beings have an aura, a glow that emanates from them making them shine brighter. I had the pleasure if meeting someone like this, a great soul, a woman named Tulsi Gabbard, our congresswoman.
She was standing in a seaside restaurant in Kona one morning talking to her followers. She was not a queen, mere monarchs must give orders, she had only to turn her head and smile.
She stood answering their questions, each comment she made was a short, eloquent speech, many wise words of hers brought loud applause. A disbeliever in the crowd tried to rattle her but she won him over with a passing word.
Her personality had no outward flaws. She embodied the poet’s words, she could “walk with kings nor lose the common touch.”
As I moved closer she turned and smiled at me. It felt like sunshine, like we were longtime friends.
People follow power, and beauty is the ultimate power. She possessed it fully. She was as beautiful as her political pictures, a shining face encircled by the dark waves of her hair. But there seemed to be many sides to this woman, a tree with infinite branches. A gem with deep, shining facets.
She was a warrior who had commanded men in battle, on foreign shores in Iraq. Beneath her gentle demeanor, I could detect the subtle iron her soul was made of. Her softness was protected by something stern inside, her every movement was definite, every wisp of her hand exact and meaningful.
I knew she could walk anywhere unafraid. Stroll by thugs and smile unconcerned. She is a great leader who will be discovered as she reveals who she is. I predict a president emerging.
Leading with grace is her destiny, her kuleana, as we say in Hawaii.
She also surfs the waves of the islands, learning from nature.
During her appearance at the restaurant in Kona she told a childhood story about as a young girl wearing a cape and saving people and the environment. She knew her calling early in life. She still wears that cape.
Lately, she showed her caring by visiting Syria to give voice to the downtrodden there. Some shortsighted people think this is a push for the evil dictator, when it is a push for peace. She also left the comfort of the office to brave the cold in North Dakota to march with the pipeline protesters.
Few congressmen leave the easy chair to go marching for justice, few are like Tulsi, who goes out rubbing shoulders in the dust with people and their causes.
She grew up on a tropical island with white beaches and swaying palm trees, this gave her lightness. She lived in Washington, D.C., giving her inside knowledge. She went through a war, this gave her courage. She grew up smart, this gives her whatever she wants.
And lucky for us she wants to better the world and our islands.
There are many politicians in office, but there are not enough goddesses. I met one who is both.
Dennis Gregory uses truth, aloha and humor in his column, and welcomes your comments at makewavess@yahoo.com