Sit back... relax and enjoy the soothing sounds of far away places and ocean breezes while you learn about our 50th States best-known export. You may be surprised to learn it is not sugar, nor pineapples, or Kona coffee, but a simple word . . . Aloha.

On the Hawaiian islands Aloha is much more than a greeting . . . it is a way of life.

Aloha means "Hello, goodbye, love, compassion, welcome, good wishes. It means belonging to others with a common humanity. It's defined better as a feeling in the heart than by words.

* A * stands for AKAHAI, meaning kindness
* L * stands for LOKAHI, meaning bring unity
* O * stands for OLU`OLU, meaning politeness
* H * stands for HA`AHA`A, meaning humbled
* A * stands for AHONUI, meaning enduring

So how does one get and share the ALOHA Spirit you ask? ... Simple;

* Respect your elders and children
* Leave places better than you find them
* Hold the door... Hold the elevator
* Plant something
* Adopt a shelter animal
* Drive with courtesy... Let others in
* Attend an event of another culture
* Return your shopping cart
* Get outside and enjoy nature
* Pick up litter
* Share with your neighbors
* Create smiles
* Go vegetarian for a day

Hawaiian is a member of the Malayo-Polynesian language family, related to Fijian, Samoan, Maori, and Tahitian. Although Hawaiian is well known and studied, only about a hundred people still speak it as their first language. Hawaii was made our 50th state on August 21, 1959 under then president Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower.

ALOHA, the most famous word of the Hawaiian language, was recorded in English as long ago as 1820, in a traveler's report. Today over a hundred words from Hawaiian are used in the English of Hawaii, and some are world-famous, including hula (1825), lei (1843), luau (1853), muu-muu (1923), and ukulele (1896).