A Touch of Aloha
As I walked down the aisle of the Longs Drugs store, I suddenly heard screaming pierce the air, “Stay away from me! Don’t get near me! Give me some space! DON’T TOUCH ME!” Turning to see what all the commotion was about, I saw an elderly woman garbed in full face shield, mask, and nitrile gloves using her shopping cart as a shield to ward off the completely surprised and startled shopper walking past her. Clearly this woman didn’t want to touch anyone or let anyone touch her, and maybe understandably so. It was March of 2020 and news of Covid-19 had just started to sweep across our community in Hawaii.
Hawaii is known as the Aloha State because people here generally show kindness and consideration. Even horn honking is uncommon unless it’s to tell another car thanks. But as the days went by and the news became more and more saturated with Coronavirus information (and sadly misinformation), the impact of fear became evident even here. Just like everywhere else, people were hoarding toilet paper and getting in fights at Walmarts over hand sanitizer and disinfectant sprays. Even as I walked around the neighborhood, people would seem to abstain from the usual friendly wave and even avert eye contact as if it were possible to transmit the virus from saying "Hi" or looking at someone. The term “social distancing” had arrived and was starting to be practiced, but at that moment it seemed that our society was just becoming distant.
Not being an overly touchy or socially extroverted individual, it was a bit surprising how the socially distanced events of the past week were affecting me. Not that anyone had screamed at me directly or refused to say hello, but nonetheless, I felt discouraged and sad because it seemed fear was preventing everyday common kindness. I think God must’ve thought I needed some encouragement because as I was standing in the afternoon sun waiting in the 1 hour line (6 feet apart of course) to get into Costco, I felt a tap on my shoulder. My first thought, sadly, was, “Why is someone touching me? Shouldn’t they be 6 feet away?” As I turned to see who would break the mandated 6 foot rule, I saw an elderly lady holding an umbrella and offering me some relief from the heat, “It’s really hot out today. Would you like to share my umbrella with me?” At that moment I was totally encouraged. Encouraged that there were still people who would show kindness. Encouraged that someone would “break the rules” and touch me just to offer me something that I might very well reject. Encouraged that God wanted to encourage me.
It reminded me of a very well known story of Jesus that we find in Mark 1:40-45. Here we find the story of Jesus healing the leper. At first glance, it is a miraculous story of Jesus performing a supernatural act of divine healing. It’s definitely that, but it’s also much more. It’s the story of a man in need of saving who’s not even sure that Jesus wants to save him. It’s the story of how Jesus literally breaks the rules of the day and voluntarily becomes unclean just to assure the man that indeed He wants nothing more than to save him. Ultimately it’s the story of what Jesus did for us.
As we continue to live life in Covid and hopefully post-Covid times, may we remember to show kindness to those around us. Not that we need to go around physically touching people to show kindness. We should still wear our masks, wash our hands, be socially responsible, distancing when needed, etc. But let’s not let fear prevent us from striving to touch the lives of others.
Bren Chun currently lives on the island of Oahu where he is a member of the Honolulu Japanese Seventh Day Adventist Church. He spends most of his time with his wife, Maile, hanging out with crying children in their pediatric dental practice.