Make a fist, only extend your thumb and pinky. Don’t squeeze your fist. Leave it loose and relaxed. Slightly shake your hand back and forth. You just made a shaka.

Have you ever made a gesture to say thank you, like putting your hand up when a car lets you cross? Well in Hawai’i, that’s when you’d use a shaka. Aloha means, “to share the breath of life” and the shaka stands for the aloha spirit.

You’ll find the shaka integrated throughout all of Hawai’i. As a greeting,

 as a goodbye, on the road, and between locals or two strangers. It’s quite a heartfelt gesture. It makes me think about all of the little things we do, all of the small gestures, without thinking about what they mean. On the daily we wave at others, give them a small smile, and that’s just the norm. We do these things mindlessly. Until going to Hawai’i and experiencing a new culture’s way of small gestures, I’ve never really thought much about these small habits.

One of my favorite things to do in Hawai’i was to make a shaka to strangers driving by when they stopped to let me cross the street. I think it was because learning about the meaning made it all the more special.

Not only that but sharing such a small yet meaningful exchange made me feel connected to those strangers cruising down the street in their cars. I never really looked to see if they did one back, I think I was just content being able to share a tiny piece of their culture.

Holding doors, picking up a fallen pencil, helping someone clean up a mess or spill, giving someone advice or directions to the nearest gas station. In every culture, everywhere, you can see a glimpse of home. A glimpse of kind, gentle human nature. Interactions seem simple with these little bits and pieces we share. Even if we don’t share the same native tongue, we share the same way of loving. We all share the same air, and breathe the breath of life together.