Everyone has things that bring them happiness – it feels pretty great to go on vacation in an exotic location or spend the night at a sporting event, cheering on the team that you devote your free time to. But for most of us, those events don’t happen very often. And when they do, their effect on our happiness is intense but fleeting – Vacations always seem to go too quickly, or your favorite team loses a heartbreaker in the last minutes. I’ve found that the simple joys of life are what give it meaning and purpose. Joy sits within you and affects how you perceive, interpret and experience the world. Whether it be new clothes or a hobby, there are so many simple things that bring you joy. To most people they would find these things ordinary, yet to you, they are extraordinary. For me, my simple joy comes in the form of a colorful, short-sleeved, loose-fitting, open-collar shirt originally worn in Hawaii.

I love Hawaiian shirts; I love everything they represent; I love the mindset you have when you put one on. Like I said above, you don’t get to always go on vacation, but that doesn’t mean you have to abandon the vacation ethos. For me, when I have a Hawaiian on, I try not to sweat the small stuff and the things out of my control, and I just try to relax. Hawaiian shirts can also represent that I party, and it reminds me to let the good times roll and enjoy life.

Aloha Season is a sacred time for me; it usually runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and includes any day above 70 degrees, or whenever I am on vacation. (EDITORS NOTE: I forgot to mention Christmas Eve, as I have a special Hawaiian for that Holiday). People may ask, “If you love them so much, why don’t you just wear them year ‘round?” Due to the fact that I live in Chicago, pleasant weather comes and goes quicker than you can say ‘Kahuna Nui Hale Kealohalani Makua.’ Because of that, there is usually only about a 10-12-week period during the year when it is not absolutely miserable outside. I will not wear a Hawaiian shirt when it is 40 degrees outside, I would look ridiculous. Hawaiian Shirt Season is an event, much like when the Shamrock Shakes come to McDonald’s- everybody loves them so much they should just serve them year ‘round, right? Just like wearing a Hawaiian all the time, too much of the Shamrock Shake would cause it to lose its luster. So yes, Hawaiian Shirt Season is over and I’m devastated over it. I lose part of my identity every year at this time and it never gets easier.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, this Hawaiian Shirt Season really left a lot of meat on the bone. I didn’t get to do the things I normally would do during your typical Aloha Time. It replaced brunch and day drinking with a bunch of deep thinking. Nights I would spend at a bar were replaced with watching episodes of Avatar. Regardless, I did my best to adapt in this COVID climate, as I wore this mask everywhere I went.

I also got these shoes, which became an essential and irreplaceable part of my wardrobe.

I wore this bucket hat to hide the atrocious head of hair I was sporting at a time when nobody could get a haircut.

While this season left a lot to be desired, it wasn’t a total loss, I just wish I had more social outings to show off my floral patterns (at a distance). Since I didn’t have those opportunities, I had the bright idea of showing off my Hawaiian Shirt collection for you in this blog! Exciting stuff, right!? Feast your eyes on a congregation of floral shirts that I consider to be my crowning achievement- my life’s work.

Alas, as Labor Day has come and gone, so does another Hawaiian shirt season. It is fitting that as I write this; it is 55 degrees and raining outside. It is as if our Lord and Savior, Jimmy Buffett, is crying from the big Margaritaville in the sky about the end of summer in Chicago.

So now my shirts will sit in the closet, hibernating, ready to be called upon for the next time I need to find my beach. 🤙🏼🌺