Page 5 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - August 11 2021

AUGUST 11, 2021
HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK 5
DIRECTOR OF CONTENT/ SUPPLEMENT PRODUCTS RON NAGASAWA
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
BILL MOSSMAN
MANAGING EDITOR
NICOLE MONTON
PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER
DENNIS FRANCIS
CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER
DAVE KENNEDY
REGIONAL SALES MANAGER
LANCE TAKAKI
hawaiiislandmidweek.com
To start/stop delivery or report a service issue, please call (808) 529-4700.
Telephone for Editorial: (808) 529-4700
Fax: (808) 585-6324
Telephone for Advertising & Administration: (808) 529-4700
Hawai‘i Island Midweek is published every Wednesday by Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500 Honolulu, HI 96813.
Pocket Full Of Poker Chips
“When I speak with a child, he inspires in me two sentiments, tenderness for what he is and respect for what he may become.” — Louis Pasteur
with Jeri Lynch
When I raised my three children, earning straight A’s was not important to me. Sports were not important. The primary gift I wanted to give them was social skills. I wanted them to make eye contact and be able to have conversations with adults.
My quest for eye contact began. Wherever I went, I carried poker chips with me. He only had to make eye con- tact, nothing more. He was too shy to introduce himself. Sometimes, I had two chips in a bathrobe pocket in the event Riley and I encountered an adult while walking out to get the morning newspaper. In 1999, I carried them to our family reunion in Wyoming. That was a very profitable trip for Riley. I doled out
This system worked so well that one day I took him to Nordstrom to buy a pair of shoes. I think he was 8 at the time. As we waited for a salesperson, I asked my son if he felt comfortable trying on a pair of shoes while I ran downstairs to buy lipstick. He said yes. At that mo- ment, a salesperson came up to help us.
Suddenly, it was as if a cannon shot out from his right side, as Riley thrust his hand forward and said confi- dently, “Nice to meet you!”
This came very easily for my first two children. How- ever, my third child, Riley, was a bit shy. No amount of cajoling could make him look
I looked at his nametag and said to my son, “Riley, this is John, he will help you.” And I waited for him to make eye contact but in-
Jeri Lynch is a wife, mother and pug owner. She writes a monthly newslet- ter called OLIO. In it you will find the most important and least important things you’ ve ever dreamed of.
Chasing The Light is pro- duced by Robin Stephens Rohr and Lynne Johnson.
at the person he was speak- ing with. One day, I promised him a poker chip for each time he made eye contact. These were not ordinary pok- er chips mind you. Each chip was worth $1.
more than 35 chips during the three-day event. Upon our return, a very happy young man went to the toy store to redeem his chips.
stead he gave me so much more.
John smiled and offered his hand back. A very small investment for a very big payout.
Walk-In Medical Care
Immediate non-emergency care for illnesses, minor wounds, or injuries from work, sports, home and auto. Physical Exams. X-Rays. Most Insurances accepted, including Kaiser.
Don’t be afraid to get medical care. We never closed, We are still here to take care of you.
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
M-F 8:30 – 6:30 | Sat-Sun 8:30 -4:30 | Hilo 969-3051 | Keaau 966-7942