PURA VIDA

The wife and I are off to Costa Rica tonight for a belated honeymoon. We are both excited to get some beach, sun, surf, and exploration in such a beautiful place. I will post pictures when we get back and hopefully have a few stories worth repeating.

It has been a while since the last post and the main reason for that has been the lack of too much positivity in the world. Blog writing – at least mine – is typically reactionary and demanding of inspiration in some form. We are all inundated today with thousands of quasi-journalists and their take on the situation we are all confronting and I guess the thought of adding something new or positive to that body of work is daunting. And so this trip comes at such a welcome time for me. Costa Rica represents not just a honeymoon; it represents an unbelievable opportunity to escape to a world of basic need satisfaction. Sun, food, sleep, and nature. I look forward to hiding from news of stock markets, bail-outs, housing prices etc. and instead focusing on weather reports, tidal charts, and bar menus. With any hope this refreshment inspires more blog posts upon my return. Who knows, maybe I will get something posted while there. 

Before we take off though I wanted to say a thank you to my parents who are making it all possible. You have spoiled us rotten yet again but I hope you know how much this trip means to us at this particular point in our lives. It is very needed. So thank you from the bottom of our hearts and cannot wait to come back with tans and stories.

On Progress….

Last night, while the Wife and I were out to dinner with some friends, we were told a funny story about their children’s reactions to smoking. Apparently, when their 5 year old and 7 year old come across a smoker they grab their parents and quietly implore them to “check out what that man is doing.” They point this out in hushed voices, imitating the tone one would take to identify a criminal in the act or possibly a person with a third eye. It should be noted that these friends of ours are health conscious vegetarians and would therefore be considered unlikely to expose their children to cigarettes enough for them to be normal. However, it is still noteworthy, especially in broader terms, that a generation is coming of age in which smoking may be considered not just gross, but odd enough to warrant the same reaction a person walking down the street with a gun in one hand a bag of money in the other might. This may not mean that smoking will disappear anytime soon, but it does suggest that we are witnessing a general trend toward the phasing out of it’s acceptance in our country. 

This got me thinking of the general progression of trends in this country and the relatively uniform life so many lead. I remember as a kid having a conversation with my Grandma about why she smoked. “When I was young,” she recalled, “no one knew it was bad for you. Doctors smoked, teachers smoked. We just didn’t know.” Even as a kid this baffled me. How could something so toxic escape trained, intelligent people? What were the massively high rates of heart disease and lung cancer attributed to? But the reality is that the story of smoking is similar to nearly every other technological or cultural development we have. When something first arrives on the scene and nothing is known of it, it is just assumed to be benign. 

For years opiates were considered to be a wonderful solution to a plethora of ailments. We now know them as perhaps the most addictive and dangerous narcotics on the planet. Eggs used to be considered the cornerstone of a healthy breakfast. We now know them to be dangerously high in cholesterol and a leading cause of Type 2 diabetes. Mercury used to line hats worn by the most fashionable men of the time. This eventually gave us the character of the “Mad Hatter”. 

Of course this list can go on and on and the many items once thought to be benign or even healthy range from understandable to laughable. But this is the story line of progress, of discovering innovative new products and then discovering their value or danger through trial and error. We laugh at previous generations for being simple or uneducated enough to think of things like smoking or cars with no seatbelts as healthy or safe but the truth is that our modern perceptions are merely based on subsequent years of experience and consequence. 

All of this makes me wonder as to what future generations will shake their head at in disbelief when told that we thought something was “safe” or “healthy”. Years from now will they wonder what we thought we were doing spending so much time on cell phones? Didn’t we know they caused brain cancer? What about alcohol? Will that someday be thought of in the same way as cigarettes? Take a look at a liver suffering from cirrhosis, it is not a benign habit. Will we be laughed at for our consumption of red meat? How about prozac and similar pills? 

My point in all of this is that we have this tendency to think that our generation represents the smartest and most advanced group of people in the history of the planet. But deep down we know that in time we are bound to be laughed at, to be thought simple or shortsighted people. It is the flip side of progress, the very engine that drives the American spirit. It implies that one day, years from now, progress will make us look small and feeble, no matter how mighty we may feel today. What will we be laughed at for or what will have us labeled us as simple and backwards? I look forward to your guesses, maybe collectively we will have the power to speed up the progress and prevent the people we love from falling victim to the same trap so many have already succumbed to.

Wedding Day!!!!

Just a quick post to announce my recent wedding to the larger public (although I am aware that nearly all of my readers are in fact family and were in fact in attendance). Last Monday, June 30, Amber and I were married at South Carlsbad Beach in a beautiful sunset ceremony. Despite all of the planning that went into the big day, it went even smoother than we all could have imagined. The weather was wonderful, everyone looked amazing, the dinner was excellent, and our room at La Costa was the perfect place to end our magical day.

I want to once again thank both sets of parents for making this day so perfect and for helping us feel so loved and supported. Amber and I could never have hoped for four people who could so seamlessly create a family and I am more excited than words to call Dan and Joanne my new parents. We had a wonderful dinner following the reception and it was beautiful to see how quickly we all became family. My Mom and Dad have each been so wonderfully accommodating to Amber and have welcomed her with such open and loving arms, even if my dad likes to pretend he does not like her.

Many additional thanks to Emily who really was the driving force behind this whole affair. She was a wonderful Maid of Honor, wedding planner, sister, and friend and without her efforts the day likely would have had problems. She has raised the bar quite high for Amber to reciprocate Maid of Honor duties but I am sure she is looking forward to the challenge.

And final thanks to my beautiful bride Amber, who made my legs weak when she reached the top of the stairs. She is the most incredible person I have ever met and has made my life the most I could have ever asked for. I look forward to finding out what she looks like all wrinkly and old but I suspect she will be the hottest chick in our retirement community! She was an amazing bride and will be an even more amazing wife and I could never thank her enough for agreeing to marry me.