How the fires and people in LA inspire me to go further
I just got back from an amazing vacation with Leah to Los Angeles, and I’m feeling inspired. But, is it enough?
A few days ago, we sat down for dinner with a new colleague who lives and breathes LA. It was our first time meeting him, so we wanted to be careful about the topics we discussed, but of course, eventually we landed for a few minutes on the devastating LA fires.
It was weird being out there in LA on vacation while the fires were still raging a few miles away in different directions. Here we were, enjoying the city as best as we could, while others were fleeing their homes and neighborhoods as up-to 100 mph winds dispersed hot embers through the air.
We showed him a photo, the one below, that we took when we were on Santa Monica’s beach watching four helicopters fly towards a nearby area still raging. Was it right for us to be walking on the pier while that was happening? It’s easy to feel guilty sometimes, even if we spent a day volunteering at a local event, it didn’t feel like enough.
But then our friend put things into a different perspective. He said (paraphrasing a bit), “The people of LA live to entertain. Right now tourists aren’t coming in and people don’t feel like being entertained, so when you spend your money you are helping the locals get through the challenges.”
Earlier in the day, Leah and I went to a restaurant (King & Queen Cantina) where the Manager was wiping dust off of the tables. He said we were the first people who had visited in two days. We didn’t make a big deal about it, and enjoyed our meal (amazing tacos with perfect tortillas), then we got up to leave. He thanked us again and again, “God bless you both”, and we wished him well. It was sweet.
It reminded me of the day before, we got coffee at Caldo Verde in DTLA. The barista (Carlito) brought it over, and we thanked him, but he stopped us and said in a smooth Spanish accent, “No no, thank you! You guys let me keep having a job!”
Sure, that’s a bit of hyperbole from him, but it hits that same note as the others I mentioned before. There’s no sense in feeling guilty when your joy can make others feel good, too.
He made a PERFECT cortado, by the way, and Leah said her latte was the best one she had had in a long time (she manages a coffee shop, by the way). Carlito really knows his stuff.
After dinner, our new friend invited us to Coco’s Rooftop where we were once again the only people there. We looked out over the beach and the barely empty streets of Santa Monica. He bought a bottle of wine, shared half a glass with us, and then left us there to soak it all in with a few new city recommendations to check out in the morning. An amazing host, to say the least.
Through all of this, and our other experiences, I was left simply impressed. Here were people who were directly impacted by the terrible fires raging around their city, and yet they still put their very best effort into everything they did. The tacos, the music, the cortados, and the conversations were top tier, showing off their talents and skills as if nothing was different at all.
It’s 12:49am right now as I write this, and I’ve been thinking a lot tonight about the amount of passion and dedication the people of LA showed to their craft. I’m inspired by you, LA, to bring that same focus on quality into the things that I do each day. Thank you, and godspeed through this storm.
