California Fires - A Community In Action

The absolutely horrible wildfires in California over the weekend (and still not fully contained) were shocking. I've never seen actual flames from the beach here in Venice, but I did on Friday night. And it was scary. There wasn't even a chance to fully process the mass shooting in Thousand Oaks on Thursday, before that same community needed to be evacuated for the fires. Beautiful Malibu was going up in flames, and we could SEE it. It was a really heavy week.

There was a Movie Night at Muscle Beach on Friday night, also the first time that has happened, that I know of. They were screening the wonderful surf documentary, Hawai'ian: The Legend Of Eddie Aikau, and I never thought I'd be nearly out loud sobbing while sitting at Muscle Beach - but there I was. A good little group turned out to get their minds off of everythig, though we were all distracted by the encroaching flames on the horizon to the north. Every now and then, the streaming would falter and the movie would stall, so we'd go look at the flames until it came back on. (Thanks, Lance!)

We weren't looking at just the glow from the flames, but actual FIRE. When the movie was over, and the much needed drink at James Beach was gulped down, we went up to the rooftop across the street. The words being used were "Surreal". "Apocalyptic". "War zone". "Hell". And yes, "Climate Change". Danny Samakow and I were getting emotional about it, mainly because you felt so helpless to help. I don't think anyone slept well that night.

Saturday morning the whole town woke up to thick smoke and the smell of wood burning. You could look directly at the sun, as it was so obscured by smoke you could barely make out the orange ball of fire within it. Fires make for gorgeous sunsets, but this one was heavy with so much loss. Then the beautiful part of it all began to happen ... the Community jumped into action. All social media feeds were full of offers of places to stay (um, does that only count for fire victims?), places to donate necessities for the people who have lost everything, citizen firefighters fought alongside the official ones (and all of the inmates making like $2 a day to save others!), and the outpouring of help and love continues to this moment. The expected Santa Ana winds mercifully did not yet arrive, and that gives a fighting chance to putting this entirely out before they do show up. We hope.

People around the country (and world) have sent messages of love and thoughts and support, with even the Empire State Building turning blue and gold in a symbol of solidarity. That's one thing that has always been - and remains - great about this country. When something goes really bad, everyone bands together to help. That's when you realize that we really are all in it together. Climate change, especially, but all of it. Voting, shootings, failing infrastructure, natural disasters - it affects us all. Times like these really spotlight the Power of the People - because as we heard over the weekend, our leadership is both clueless and useless. So, thank you to everyone who shows up to help. The everyday heroes. It reminds me of the story Mr. Rogers would tell:

“My mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.”

Today I think we can all also find comfort by realizing that there are STILL so many helpers. Thank you. 

Grease Was The Word!

The annual singalong screening of Grease was held at Venice High School this past Saturday night, and was great, as ever. There was a big crowd there filling most of the football field (that is soon to be renovated, and will no longer look like it did in the movie, so this was a special screening, for sure), with a whole bunch of T-Birds, Pink Ladies, and poodle skirt wearing teeny boppers representing the greaser spirit.

Booths lined the running track (also to be updated), fundraising for various school groups, selling things like fried rice and unicorn quesadillas, in addition to a bbq, and the usual high school football game fare. Everyone has seen the film so many times that you could hear the dialogue being recited along with every word, not just the songs.

My friend visiting from out of town mentioned how it felt so small town, which is pretty remarkable, considering how big L.A. is - and it did. Friends waved to neighbors, people squeezed on to the prime blanket real estate on the grass, people shared their movie snacks, and watched other peoples' kids while they went for more. It was great. As I was thinking about it all this morning, I thought how everyone was out there just to have a good time in the community with fellow fun-havers. No one thought twice about being gathered in a big group out in public. It didn't enter our minds that someone might open fire on us all. I'm sure the revelers in Las Vegas for a concert last night didn't think that either ... until it happened. The biggest mass shooting in the United States in modern times. Over 50 dead. Over 500 injured. All for nothing. All because of guns, no gun control, and yet another crazy white man. It's the worst. The fun of the weekend feels like it didn't even happen. But it did, and that's important to remember. We can't give up having fun, or give in to fear, because then we're not living while we're alive - and every breath is precious. This tragedy in Vegas only highlights that fact even more, once again.

Take care of each other. Have fun. Love. And fight for gun control with everything you've got, because something has to stop this insanity, and it's up to We, the People. As everything now has to be.