Lately I have been musing over the fact that I live and work in paradise. An orange grove–smack dab in the middle of paradise… Ojai, California.
Ojai is one of the very last “old California” villages in Southern California. Neatly tucked away in a valley surrounded by mountains. Far enough away from the big city sprawl of LA and convenient to Santa Barbara and the Central Coast area. Click on the picture album to the left of this column and see for yourself. I am blessed, happy and grateful for the Ojai House. Indeed it has its price… like all things worthwhile.
My office is spacious enough for me and two assistants and the recording studio is right next door. My clients really enjoy coming here to work and plan creative projects as well… much more laid back than a corporate conferene room. And the grounds offer several different areas for working and relaxing all at the same time. One of my affirmations ends with “in an easy and relaxed manner”…. whatever I am doing I am doing it in an easy and relaxed manner. This environment supports me in that way.
To stress on anything is absurd! Right now is a magical time of life for me. I dont know if all people in my mid boomer generation share this notion. I have been around many who are angry,bitter, tired, scared, lost… Careers, raising kids, divorces, dreams… all get sort of buddled together in mid-life. It gets harder to push the ball uphill every month. Many have stopped believing in their dreams. It has been an equally challenging time for me. But it is also a wonderful time of re-discovery, re-alignment, re-thinking the validity of old beliefs… leveraging the asset of wisdom and experience to grow and expand. And a body in motion tends to stay in motion. There are always greater possibilities…
My work life has always been important to me. I don’t think of it as a job. For whatever reason, my work is who I am. I am what I do. I want to add value to people through creative expression of ideas. That is my life’s work. It is also the experience my Soul seeks to have in life. The ego does not drive the bus any longer… Spirit has taken the wheel. My live/ work environment is a physical manifestation of this principal in action. I was drawn to this place because I am meant to be here… it serves me, as I serve others.
The challenge to create what we desire is the greatest gift a boomer can have. It will keep us in the game, only more on our terms… Our culture is still very much a youth culture. And nobody understands youth culture better than boomers… we invented Woodstock and a few years later Disco… we are a creative group of people… As a generation(our Fathers fought WWII), we boomers come from a conservative value system that is no longer alive in our culture… We boomers are lighting the way for the ones behind us. I am just getting started…
