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Woodland Hills Ice Skating

Embassy Suites Hotel - Mandalay Beach Resort - Oxnard

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Highland Hall Waldorf School - Children are not rushed, but encouraged

A unique medi-spa specializing in Botox, Lasers, LipoSlim, IPL, Fillers and cosmetic surgery
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Dr Kerner'
Specializing in Head and Neck Surgery, Sinus Surgery, Sleep Apnea and Facial Cosmetic Surgery www.Marckernermd.com 

TO FLY L.A.
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EEG INSTITUTE
22020 Clarendon St. Suite 305
Woodland Hills, CA
818.373.1EEG (1334)
www.eeginstitute.com

Wake Up and Live!
~ Bob Marley
By Ernest Ogden

Sometimes our hearts get tangled. And our souls a little off-kilter. Friends and family can set us right. And help guide us back to the light.
~Sera Christann

Stress is a killer, but there are ways to overcome your inner self and make your life more beautiful. If you think you have had the worst day of your life, think of those who have suffered disease, loss of life, disabled children, ailing and fading parents, you get the pic- ture. Remember one thing every day is a new beginning and life is what you make it. So stop and take a breath, smell the roses and read on to find ways to enjoy the life you have.

So often, we as a society have a ten- dency to turn our so-called shortcomings, trials, tribulations, and past blames arbitrarily to our loved ones, our co-workers, the government, and even those we happen to meet in passing during our day-to-day lives. Let's face it, times are tough, but the smallest things in life can often times be catalyst to strengthen your will. A random act of human kindness, a mitzvah, can change your day and relegate your issues to a tiny microcosm of those who struggle and still manage to smile. Set aside your troubles and validate your place in the world by helping yourself through help- ing others. Help the elderly woman in the grocery store reach for a box, return a fellow patron's cart for them, get to know your cashier by name, and help push a stalled car out of the intersection, even if you are in a hurry. Would it be asking too much to refrain from sitting on your horn when another driver made an honest mistake?

It would behoove all of us to embrace a lifestyle given the obvious circumstances by taking a different approach in certain circumstance by making some simple adjustments in order to make your life and that of those around you more pleasant. Life is cyclical and when you find a path that soothes your soul only then you will realize how powerful the transcendence of inner peace pre-vails. If you don't have a remedy to fulfill those druthers here are some thoughts that may have passed your mind...

Grow a Garden

Mistress Mary, Quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With Silver Bells, And Cockle Shells,
And so my garden grows.
~Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book (c. 1744)

Growing. Parents raise their children and see the result of their hard work and dedication by producing quality human beings who will go out in the world and carry on the genera- tion. Whether you live in an apartment, a sprawling estate, or a typical house in the burbs, beautify your surroundings by a simple trip to local gardening center. Pick out a few tomato plants, flowers to pot or even a package of seeds to grow and water every day to remind you that in order for them to flourish you need to feed and tend to your garden as it depends on you day in and day out. Although the plants will not speak to you verbally, they will speak volumes by the fruits that they bear or the growth that they give as a result of your caring efforts. In addition, this will guide you in a path of simple responsibility, reward and remind you that all living things need nurturing, love and respect. The forefathers of this coun- try labored over raising their crops and shared them with their community contributing to their livelihood and bonding them together.

Cooking for Others

Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you may work.
~Anonymous

Cooking is like love. It should be
entered into with abandon or not
at all.
~Harriet Van Horne

A batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies from a relative's recipe and shared with neighbors is a welcome way to show how much you care. Better yet, ask your friends and neighbors to contribute an old recipe and bind the treasures into a book to hand out during the holidays. Have a potluck and invite everyone on your block, approach even those that you only wave to but don't know by name. Ask them to make one of their favorite dishes and explain why it means something to them. This is a great way to bring neighbors closer together and understand how challenges between different personalities can be overcome and help those around you to live together in harmony.

Reflection

Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family. Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted.
~Paul Pearshall

Research your family history. Write to relatives that you haven't kept in touch with and ask them to share a funny or interesting story with you. Have your kids write a letter to a grandparent or a distant relative on stationary, (not an email or text), to learn more about their heritage.

Research your genealogy to learn interesting facts about your family history. Make a family tree and frame it for display in your home. Discover your family's past and talk about it around the dinner table with your kids or over a cocktail with your spouse. There is no end to what you may find by unveiling your genetic background to engage an ongoing concoction of conversation.

Explore a Small Town

I draw from my family and my friends and I feel like that smalltown person. The achievements, the materialistic possessions have really become to mean less. They mean nothing.
~Sheryl Crow

Someone said sleeping under a different ceiling could change your per- spective on life, how about spending a day under a different sky. So Cal has so many historical gems that have been overlooked or ignored. Take a Sunday drive to Fillmore, a lovely small town just northwest of Valencia. It is a quiet town in where time stood still. Enjoy a ride on the vintage railroad or walk around and soak in the local flavor by window. Take your kids on a fishing expedition. Share special reshopping outside the many antique shops on the main drag. Share in the nostalgia of toys from the past and handmade garb that the area vendors display. If you want to explore one of nature's wonderlands, head a little east to Lake Piru. This man made enclave offers something for everyone, you can camp overnight, take a brisk walk on the shore or rent an outboard boat with a couple of fishing
rods with the family. Even if you're not a championed angler, you can still give your children the exciting experience of casting a rod into the murky waters with the excitement of possibly catching a fish. Pick up a fishing kit with your kid's favorite cartoon character usually around ten bucks from Wal-Mart or Target, complete with angling gear and bait. Who cares if you catch anything it is all about the quality time and enjoying life.

Make Space for the Future

Make the best of your past the worst of your future.
~ Errol Small

Sometimes we cling onto the past by hoarding unnecessary clutter to comfort us when in reality it only reminds us of the chaos we have created for ourselves. Don't be a propo- nent of purchasing new items to replace the old until you have cleansed your closets of past remnants and are confident enough to let go of the empty material objects that fill the blank spaces. Cleaning your house and ridding yourself of inconsequential content can truly be fulfilling. Remember, memories are kept solely by the heart. So keep the pic- tures and souvenirs that actually have sentimental meaning and get rid of the rest. Spend a day organizing old photos in scrapbooks or have them scanned and inputted onto a digital photo frame to share with others. The point is you can condense your experiences without the clutter, which will give way to better feng shui in your home. Anything you can do to eliminate the extra cargo will surely trim the baggage in your life!!

All books are alike in that they are truer than if they had happened, and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you: the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was. If you can get so that you can give that to people, then you are a writer.
~Ernest Hemingway

Family Fun

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, lov ing, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together.
~Erma Bombeck

You're working, the kids are off from school and playing video games as well as other dreadful activities. Bring the family together after work and plan a movie night. Pick an offshoot film like Blast from the Past, Napoleon Dynamite, or even Tango and Cash. It doesn't matter if it is Tuesday or Wednesday, fire up the grill and cook some burgers have everyone pitch in on the cooking and cleaning, prior to a planned family activity. A deck of cards can bring back unity and competition whether it is Old Maid or poker to perpetuate a challenge to be repeat- ed time and time again. Or set up a game of Monopoly, (there are many new commercial versions), The Game of Life, or any old board game that is collecting dust. You would not believe how interesting and interactive these clever games can be and how much the time spent together will give back to the family unity.

The House

If today was your last day, who would you call, what would you say, and what are you waiting for?
~Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul

You might think that feeding the family is a delivered pizza, takeout, or drive-thru food before heading off to the little league baseball game. Your family might notice a difference if you place fresh flowers, maybe from your garden, put fresh lemons in a bowl on the table, or simply serve dinner with cloth napkins, a candle or two and maybe a prayer once in a while. These simple details can bring a family much closer together. What's the special occasion they may ask? Celebrating life and living it to its fullest.

Showing appreciation of togetherness and remembering how every moment should be appreciated and cherished. Remember this costs nothing other than your time, which is the most precious gift of all.

For Richer or For Poorer

When you look in a mirror, what do you see? The person you once were, or the person you will soon become?

For those of you reading this arti- cle, you understand that living in Southern California can be a struggle, but let's face it, it is the best place on the planet to live, raise your children and pursue anything you want. You can ski, surf, scuba dive, hike, see a major sports team, (Go Lakers!), walk Hollywood Boulevard gazing at stars, and call it home. Is it worth it? Sure it is. So when you dwell on the negative, help your neighbor, respect your family and take a moment to stop and realize what you have to give is more than what you have to take in life. Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality.

Don’t worry be happy!!
~Bob Marley

www.valleyscenemagazine.com

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