Adventures in Candyland

Life’s pretty funny. One day you write about feeling thankful every day and a few day’s later, the concept really comes into play (sorry about the rhyme). I was staying in Malibu this past holiday weekend. Friday was amazing glorious day at the beach - warm and clear. Winter? Not here. I kept thinking that this is why people live in Southern California.

But, this is why people don’t, want to live in SoCal that is. I was awoken out of a dead stupor at 5:30am to the smell of what I thought was the BBQ and the doorbell ringing. I opened the door to a wall of thick, black smoke and the neighbor telling us to gather our things and get out. Shocking to say the least. Another disasterous fire - second time in a month. Here is the view from Kanan as I evacuated.

Sun rising amid the growing plume

Pretty dramatic difference from day to day. Guess there’s a price to pay for beauty. What do you think?

I know Danielle has already offered her thoughts on Thanksgiving and how we should never take the freedoms we have for granted, but of course, I needed to add my two cents on all the other things that shouldn’t be taken for granted as well (shocking, I know).

One of the brands we represent, Soul’s Calling, is all about transferring positive energy from one person to another. The big idea is that we are all connected and whatever we are feeling or whatever is happening to us, we pass that emotion/energy to everyone we come in contact. Not surprisingly, Gina, president of Soul’s Calling, creates aesthetically-pleasing products that literally feature fun, affirming messages directed at its owner and whomever the product and it’s person come in contact with. To create this kind of line, you definitely have to be an eternal optimist, and she truly is. Recently we had her create a list of her: Top Five Easy Ways To Make Yourself Happy. I liked all the ideas, but I was particularly drawn to the idea of the gratitude list.

A gratitude list isn’t a new, unique or innovative idea, in fact, it’s quite simple and basic which is probably why I was so attracted to it. It’s so easy to take life for granted. When something traumatic or painful happens to you, you definitely feel the need to be reflective and thankful for everything you have. But so often, as soon as life resolves itself and moves back into the daily grind, you forget about all that stuff and just live life - not that there is anything wrong with that either - it’s just the way it is.

As a very busy person, with a lot on my plate, I’ve realized I need a method of reconnecting to myself and the others around me that’s simple and doesn’t take a lot of time or effort. Yes, I would love to do an hour of yoga everyday and I wish I could meditate for 20 minutes each morning, but sometimes its just not possible to fit it in. So, I have made this gratitude list a part of my everyday. I usually write it out right before I go to bed and it calms me down and offers good thoughts as I fall asleep. Then a few days ago, Danielle sent me this link from Tim Ferris’ blog, “Experiments in Lifestyle Design.” In the post, he features a study which likens the kind of gratitude list I’ve been completing each night to a form of meditation resulting in things like increased alterness, enthusiasm, determination, energy, optimism and a whole litney of other great things that typically result from more traditional forms of meditation. Who knew I was helping myself even more than I thought I was!

Obviously, this is quite apropos considering tomorrow’s Thanksgiving, but it’s probably even more apropos every other day of the year when we really do forget to be thankful for all we have, because baby, ain’t those the days when we need to remember it most. Particularly in the ultra fast paced, multi-media, always on, information overloaded world. For five minutes, just forget about all that other stuff and remember what makes this thing we call life so worth it. And believe, me I’m not one of those, “golly gee, isn’t life grand!” types, but when I do this, I realize my cup overfloweth in so many ways.

So c’mon have an attitude towards gratitude. All us busy professionals need to keep things in perspective and it seems to me, this might be one good way to do it.

Happy Turkey Day!

Sadly, a large portion of Southern California is up in flames today. What’s even worse? This is nothing new. As a native, I have seen fire after fire ravage the hillsides where I grew up. For me, driving through Malibu canyon and smelling Eucalyptus trees is akin to eating a bowl of mac and cheese - I’m home.

So, it’s painful to repeatedly drive through canyons, once covered by California’s distinct green vegetation when it’s been blackened and burnt to a crisp. Tree after tree reduced to charred stick figures. And the cycle continues. Years pass - the greenery rejuvenates and then like clockwork, it happens all over again. Yesterday the clock struck extraordinarily loud and all at once over Southern California.

Here’s an image I took from Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica yesterday. It’s actually beautifully tragic, right. Guess you put ocean in anything and it has the tendency to be so.

And today, as I sit in my office watching the trees wave back and forth with alarming intensity due to the hot, dry and unrelenting Santa Ana winds, I have to tell you I feel sad. According to this piece on Mega Fires, Global Warming is the fuel for these fires and only promises to get worse as the years progress and we ultimately lose half the forests in the West.

This definitely ties into my last entry… and even though I’m not really a political person, I hope that our next President makes the earth’s survival a priority. Because it’s becoming more an more apparent how we’ve slipped up.

People who aren’t from LA always wonder why anyone would want to live here. The earthquakes, the fires, the traffic the smog, the expense. It might seem daunting to some, but I’ve lived other places and when I was away, all I ever wanted was to come home. Boy, am I a dork!

My brain wasn’t really melted by the heat. Yes - I know it’s only September 7th, but I got your attention! The funny thing is some people love Halloween so much, they actually start their seasonal buying binge in MAY. They want the newest stuff, they want it first and they don’t care about the cost. Sort of like women and their bags - well, not the woman writing this unfortunately.

Halloween is a holiday people feel passionate about. Can you blame them? It’s really the only holiday that is truly and only about having fun! Who doesn’t like to dress up to be someone else for a day. That’s why our client, HalloweenMart , is so successful. So, if you are sick of being yourself or maybe, someone else is sick of you, I have the solution! Just go to the site and choose someone different to be. You could be another someone different 365 days a year and then some. Believe me, I’ve spent some time in the company warehouse, and I’ve done a millions costume changes - they never get old. Par example, Elton John, you ain’t got nuthin on Lauren Tarne! If you look around the site, you might even find a few more of these gems (sense the sarcasm).

But, for those who need a little more inspiration, there is HalloweenMart’s new blog, Trick-or-Treat, where people can follow the stories of a bunch of fictional (or are they?) characters whose lives are engulfed by Halloween and all the holiday encompasses. You can even follow the characters as they twitter their way to the big day. So check out Candy, Nick, Jinx and others to get yourself revved up for the season.

Remember , Halloween is only 53 days away. That’s nothing. It takes time to develop the perfect costume. And although I have a plethora of ideas on the ensemble I plan on donning this year, I’m am perfectly willing to take suggestions. And that goes for Danielle and Limor as well. Don’t dissapoint us!