Signs of Thirst in the Golden State

JOANNA de VOS
26th December | California Interstate 5 / Southbound

EDEN, THE HOME OF CLASSY GRASS! 


Local!  Fresh! Green!

Everything for the Traveler...

Juicy Peaches

Delicious Apricots

Our Mountains Are Almonds!

At least that's what the first sign says, 
passing by, tipping 80
on that 2-lane Valley highway 

The second sign says the road ends in 50 feet. 

Slow down and move over.
No parking, any time.





Bet the farm. 
Bet the ranch. 
The clearance sale is on.

Better eat your veggies while they last.
The rest stop is closed.

Credits: Hieronymus Bosch - The Garden of Earthly Delights; Mauro Pezzotta/Shutterstock; Reuters

Holiday Kindness: Am I Worth the Genetically-Modified Calories I Take In?

ADAM MICHAEL LUBEKE 

(originally posted at Dear Dirty America)

I really thought the day before Thanksgiving I was going to witness my first headline-worthy act of Southern California road rage, and not even twenty feet away from me. A front row seat, I thought, to more madness.

A man had stopped his racing-style motorcycle in the center median and hopped off. Abnormal movements on the freeways and streets of California’s major cities is reasonable cause for any nearby motorist’s stomach to tighten. You’re stuck, after all. Boxed in on all sides by cars. It’s not a desirable place to be if the man in front of you pulls a gun.

The man, wearing a helmet with a reflective face shield and a white and red riding suit, fiddled with his bike for a moment. He appeared to be securing it by turning a key and locking the bars.

When I glanced the signal was green. I was in my car, behind a black pickup truck. Why weren’t we moving? What was going on? You could feel the collective tension of the drivers.

The biker ran to the crosswalk. I lost sight of him from behind the truck.

Then I saw the problem.

A middle-aged man in a wheelchair. His skin permanently wrinkled and brown from the sun. Long greasy hair hung down his neck from under his cap. His bony hand gripped the wheels on his chair, and his thin arms pushed as fast as they could, but still he struggled.

It wasn’t his fault, really. Not like those miserable people who cross the street when there are only a couple of seconds left before the light turns red. They saunter in front of traffic like it don’t matter how many people or how much traffic they be holdin’ up. Well, screw those people.

But this man, possibly a war veteran, tried his damnedest to cross in time. The street was wide and at an incline, both of which worked against an already tired set of arms.

Until the biker’s outstretched hands latched onto the wheelchair’s handles and he scooted the ailing man to the other side in two seconds. The man in the chair did not turn his head. He lifted his legs, relieved. Once they were safely off the street, the man in the chair pointed right, and the biker turned the chair.

The lines of traffic roared, and we sprung forward again. Me with misty eyes. Which seems to happen more easily the older I get.

–<>–It’s my Barbie doll, you bitch!–<>–

Two days later, I read in the newspaper about two women from Norwalk who started shoving each other and throwing punches over a discounted Barbie doll in a Walmart store. Then I saw a photo out of the UK showing a man dragging a huge flat screen HD TV with a woman latched onto it, dragging her fluffy black boots on the slippery tiles in an attempt to stop him. Somebody sent me an email of a video taken by a man in a Walmart store where police officers had to break up a brawl over limited clearance-priced electronics.

And you wonder why elite people like David Rockefeller call for depopulation of the planet. Get rid of the humans. They’re sick. They’re out of control. The only higher purpose they have is to eat, screw, and indulge in simple entertainment. Cockroaches with the cognitive ability to follow a football game. They are products of a toxic environment. And they seem to love it.

And you might wonder why there is a growing popularity in the United States for the leader of the Hermit Kingdom, Kim Jong Un, who can make such accurate, but slightly awkward statements about America, like, “The US is bursting seams with pettiness and malfeasance. They think we have society problem here in Paradise? They do civil war over toaster ovens and televisions.”

As far as the exiled cultural philosopher, Hubert Humdinger [pronounced 'hum-din-jer'] is concerned, “All the good people have disappeared. They stay home. They retreat as far as they can from this mess. It would be easier to carve an X into your forehead, throw up your bloody hands, and say, ‘I’m done with the whole catastrophe’, and then post the photo on Facebook. But society cannot afford that we do this.”

–<>–You love humanity, then go hug a homeless person–<>–

There’s no better time than now to ask yourself (myself included), “Am I worth the precious genetically-modified calories I take in? What am I doing with the energy I consume from this planet? Am I flushing it down the toilet, or am I replanting it for a bountiful harvest?”

As the Indian guru OSHO said more than once, It is easy to love humanity, but it is very difficult to love humans. Meaning, you can read a book about how to be a better person, you can feel fuzzy inside about an idea, and you can say, “Gee whiz, each human being is precious.” But then go try to hug a homeless man. Go feed a hundred down and out people in the park. See the difference?

And not all homeless men want to be hugged, so ask first. If you tried to wrap your arms around my friend, Lyle Shove-It, who sits on a bench near the intersection of two prominent streets in Hollywood, you will find you would have more luck squeezing a black bear’s genitals.

So, for the love of God, or for the love of each other, let us each expend a few of the superfluous calories we intake by doing something positive for someone else this holiday season. Big or small, we need a million kind acts every day to counteract the foul energy the Black Friday crowd puts into the collective consciousness day by day. You can begin with family and friends.

Pass around your goodwill.

photo attribution: "'Tis the Season" by Benson Kua
"Homless man in los angeles" by Terabass (via Wikimedia Commons)
"Produce Goodwill" (Rake the Light)

Season of Stress

Tis the season in full swing--and if we're not mindful, our nerves will be dashed as ever-mounting stress drives those jing-jing-jingling reins. The holidays gift a dizzying array of demands--parties, shopping, baking, cleaning, entertaining... we're distracted, worn down and perhaps, for some, the stress can reach very uncomfortable levels. In his book PANIC: One Man's Struggle with Anxiety, emerging author Harry Floyd candidly shares his own struggle with anxiety in an effort to guide others who suffer with this often debilitating condition. 

Earlier this year, Harry wrote an insightful article for Rake the Light on this topic. My hope is that it brightens your spirit and opens up a healthy a forum for discussion in the new year. 


Anxiety Impacts Everyone  by Harry Floyd


Male, female, young, or old, anxiety plays a role in all of our lives.



When I sat down to share my story with anxiety, it never occurred to me that my perspective (as a young adult male) might be particularly unique. My story doesn’t come from someone who is a medical professional, but rather just your average twenty something year old male.



Anxiety has been part of who I am since I can remember. As a child, I didn’t quite understand the feelings and reactions I was having. The nerves I felt overwhelmed me in social situations. I withdrew, attempting to deal with my situation on my own. It wasn’t until I grew older and opened up to others that my situation became clear.



Something I stress in my book, PANIC: One Man’s Struggle with Anxiety, is that you cannot cure yourself of who you are. Anxiety is not something to fear or let prevent you from doing the things you love. Rather, it is something to further understand because it is simply one aspect of you. Anxiety should not define you. It can be an isolating phenomenon, but if you approach it with greater understanding you will find a surprising amount of comfort in your own skin.



The topics of anxiety, stress, panic disorders, and more have been somewhat taboo in our culture’s history. Social and cultural stereotypes have a way of influencing how we deal with these stressors. Males are not always thought of as being ones to disclose their feelings openly. This wasn’t something that even crossed my mind at the time of writing my book though. In fact, it was something that I discovered later through the reactions of others to my willingness to share my story.



There is a huge takeaway here – society is moving in the right direction when it comes to being open-minded and understanding.



No matter who you are, you should feel comfortable sharing your story. The social stigmas surrounding anxiety and being candid are going away. I have felt tremendous relief from sharing my experiences and hearing from others.



Three concepts I emphasize in my book are reflection, openness, and active participation.



First, you should understand yourself further by reflecting on what you are feeling. Then, relate to others by opening up and sharing your experiences. It is amazing how much we grow when we take that initial step to connect with another individual. The final part of the process is remaining actively engaged in your journey through life and anxiety. Never stop seeking to learn more about yourself. I’ve tried numerous ways of dealing with my anxiety. Maturity, life experience, and learning from others have improved each and every positive habit I have incorporated into my life.



Getting past that initial hesitation to open up is a big challenge. But, once you take that leap, I promise it will be worth it.


No matter how overwhelmed you may be feeling, you are not alone. There are others out there, just like you, going through similar experiences and many of them are having tremendous success. They would love to help you do the same.



I will leave you with a line from my book – “Happiness and peace will come if you actively search for it.”

Learn more: HarryFloyd.com  

Photo Source: Worry, Masahiro Hayata, Tokyo, Japan; Happy Holidays, Marcus Quigmire, via Wikimedia Commons