Life skills!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Those of you who know my fabulous husband Matt, are aware that he could be considered the poster child of modern day living. He is a multi-tasker extraordinaire living life at the speed of a formula 1 race car driver.  Surprisingly, he has the miraculous quality of cutting through to the essence of things with a level of depth that would surprise anyone and continues to baffle me to this very day.  Such a moment occurred yesterday as we were sharing lunch after skiing our hearts out on the mountain yesterday.  We were discussing the Jamie Oliver Food Revolution TV show, that we had watched together the night prior, when he calmly stated:  We have stopped learning life skills!!!!!

Dumbfounded by this intense statement, I dug further and asked him to elaborate.  He said, we as a culture, no longer know how to manage our money, feed our children and ourselves, and parent our offsprings to become well functioning adults.  For the rest of the day, his statement did not leave my mind.  Why, I asked myself was this happening?  No doubt, I agree with him, but what has caused our learning in these important areas of life to stop?  In spending some time to think about this, my conclusion is this:  We as a culture are obsessed with time and efficiency.  

 We have become consumed with doing things in record speed and we have eliminated any task that might consume precious time.  We no longer cook, because it takes too much time, we bring our clothes to the cleaner, because washing them takes too much time, and because we are all working to get somewhere in life (do not ask me where) we no longer take the time to raise our children.  I myself know, that the issue of time is on the forefront of even my five year old daughter as she blurts out statements such as: "you have just wasted my time" to me.    Our preoccupation with time, has caused us to stop learning the most important skill of life:  to live in the present rather than chase the future. Shouldn't we all re-focus our attention to how we are living life today, and as a result have a much better outlook for tomorrow.  I  would like to end with a quote from Francis Gray that sums up my thoughts.  Here's to living the good life.......
Francis Gray
"Look well to this day. Yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow is only a vision. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well therefore to this day"

The weather man!!!!!!!!

Matt & My Dad

Having lived in Deer Valley now for almost 3 months, one of the biggest changes in my daily routine has been to have to actually follow the weather.  Living in Los Angeles for so many years, it is easy to forget the importance of such a task, as Angelenos are blessed with the most consistent nice weather possible.  The occupation of being the weatherman in Los Angeles must be the most boring and redundant job as there a no real dramatic changes to report aside from the the occasional El Ninjo that strikes every few years.

So imagine me, not only checking for temperature changes as I get my daughter dressed for school, but also checking, will it be sunny, will it snow, are we going to get powder, etc.  Here in Deer Vallley, weather is a major factor of everyday life.  I am happy to report that I have adjusted well to this new routine in my life in no small thanks to my own personal weatherman, my dad.

Those of you who know him, will agree that there are many things that he is able to forecast with cutting edge accuracy.  The weather is one such thing.  For instance, prior to getting on a plane, he will consult the radar and weather map to see if the flight will be smooth or bumpy, and I can always count on him to relay such valuable information to me and those around him.  Having had the pleasure of living near him in Deer Valley, there have been the few select days where I have gotten "The Call".

This is the call I get from him, when conditions are optimal (and I do mean a flawless 10 out of 10), which is the only time he will make the ride up the mountain and ski with us.  I know that when I see his name on my caller id in the morning, that I do not need to check the weather today, as I know perfection is about to strike. I have made the fatal mistake of questioning this skill a few times, when it was cloudy and foggy as my phone rang with the announcement of his ski intentions.  However, miraculously, by the time my dad shows up at my house, weather nirvana has set in.

Yesterday, was one of these days, where I saw his name on my phone, and just proceeded to get my ski clothes on immediately in anticipation of his select arrival.  Sure enough, as we proceeded to ski, the day was without flaw and as usual a memorable experience.  As we were skiing in the most spectacular setting of weather this season, I could not help and reflect on the fact, that I am so lucky to be spending this quality day with the best weatherman around, my dad.  Here's to living the good life with dads......