Living Hawaii Dream means first figuring out what it is

What does it mean to live the Hawaii Dream anymore?

When the flatlands on Maui were developed in the 1960s, the little houses were called “Dream City,” because that’s where sugar workers could finally move out of plantation houses into homes of their own. The dream was clearly defined, tangible and widely held.

Now that homeownership is such an impossibility for families in that same socioeconomic level, what is the new Hawaii Dream? Renting a townhouse in Ewa and catching the train to a maintenance job at a ritzy Kakaako condo? Winning big in Vegas so that you can buy a house in Vegas? Being fired by the UH athletic department so you can wipe away your tears with a fat check?

(Too soon?)

Living the Hawaii Dream used to mean unhurried days, easy abundance and gratitude for simple things. It meant wearing slippers to school and aloha shirts to work; sleeping with the windows open and the doors unlocked; being surrounded by the bounty of nature and the luxury of time.

Now we dream of air conditioning, free parking, 24-hour security and whole-home DVR.

Of course, that’s not the dream for everyone. Some come to Hawaii with nothing but the dream of starting over. The image of balmy weather, beckoning beaches and a local population dedicated to being hospitable to strangers still endures despite decades of the stark reality. For some, sleeping in a tent on a beach, no matter how desperate it looks to others, is the Hawaii Dream.

The tourists dream of Hawaii as a magical land where everything exists for their enjoyment. Every trail leads to magical adventure, every surf break and mountain stream is a thrilling ride. The laws of nature and rules of caution don’t apply in this enchanted version of the islands. We might shake our heads at their ignorance when reality rises from the deep to bite them, but it’s still sad to see the innocence of their tropical dreams dashed, especially if it reminds us of our own wishful naivete.

Living the Hawaii Dream might mean being able to work in the world but live in Hawaii; to be a smaller-scale Oprah with a cool career, secluded Maui estate and famous friends; or a Henk Rogers type with save-the-world-from-itself ideas and money to burn. Maybe the dream is to have Hawaii just as a home base, a vacation home, an Obama Christmas house where the family can eat shave ice, go bodysurfing, play golf, avoid traffic and not have to deal with the inconveniences of everyday life. Permanent vacation.

It used to be that immigrants came to Hawaii with the dream of a fair chance — the belief that here, hard work would translate into a college education for their children. Now it’s clear that luck and connections and knowing how to work the system play a much bigger role than hard work in capturing the Hawaii Dream. Whatever that might be.

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Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.