Carpe the Hell Out of this Diem. – by Gary S. Smolker

Examine Your Life

I saw the 8:35 p.m. showing of “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” on Saturday night, March 12, 2016.

“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” has many important messages.

All the messages left a lasting impression on me.

I hope I am like the main character, Kim a female journalist.

Kim thought she was responsible for causing a Marine to have his feet blown off by a mine while he was on active duty in Afghanistan.

She believed/believes that he had his feet blown off by a mine as a direct result of an interview of him she conducted in Afghanistan that her Television Network broadcasted to a  worldwide audience.

When Kim returned to the United States she drove out to the “Marine’s” home to apologize and to give him an opportunity to yell and scream at her.

Instead of yelling at her, the ex-Marine (he was honorably discharged from the Marines as a result of his disability) explained to Kim

• (a) it was not Kim fault that his feet were blown off, and
• (b) he has gotten on with his life, and
• (c) Kim ought to get on with her life, and
• (d) why Kim should get on with her life.

The speech the Marine (ex-Marine) gives Kim is absolutely beautiful.

It is worth watching the entire movie just to listen to that speech and to watch the two of them (Kim and the Marine) interact as he is giving her that speech.

At the moment, the most important and prominent message delivered to me in “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” is/was, Move on with your life.

Life Goes On

“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” was extremely poignant to me because I have three daughters.

Before going to see “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” I had spent the afternoon (Saturday afternoon, March 12) with my 28 year old daughter Leah on an excursion to purchase an embroidered meditation pillow at the ANANDA store located at 1345 Abbot Kinney Blvd., in Venice, California. Phone: 1-310-450-2607.

Leah had asked me to buy her a meditation pillow.

That is why I ended up on Saturday afternoon being on Abbot Kinney Blvd.

I ended up purchasing four meditation pillows at the ANANDA store.

Below are pictures of the meditation pillows.

Abbot Kinney Blvd is an extremely cool street.

Many of the walls of the stores on Abbot Kinney are painted with interesting designs.

There are interesting signs on the sidewalk.

Many of the store fronts have very creative windows and signs on the sidewalk in front of them.

Below are two picture of me standing in front of an exterior wall of one of the stores on Abbot Kinney Blvd.

Below is a picture of me standing in front of the wall of another store.

Below is a picture of a storefront window of one of the stores on Abbot Kinney, the L. Angels store.

Below is a picture of a sign on the sidewalk in front of a store.

The walls of buildings are painted with interesting pictures.

Below is a picture painted on the side of one of the stores.

Below is a picture painted on the rear wall of one of the stores which abuts on an alley located behind the store.

Notice the no parking sign.

Leah and I had lunch at an interesting restaurant, Kreation Kate Kafe – Venice, located at 1202 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA. 90291 [phone 1-310-314-7778], before going shopping on Abbot Kinney.

Below is a photograph of a Kreation Kate Kafe “You Are What You Eat” napkin, taken by me before Leah and I ate lunch there.

Below are photographs of two of the signs posted near the cash register at the Kreation Kate Kafe on Abbot Kinney Blvd., advertising one of their products that supposedly flushes out toxins which get into your body after you have imbibed three Tequilas and averts hangovers.

Below is another sign which advertises products to get your body beach ready.

Among other things you may order on the Kafe menu, you may order “Avocado Toast.”

For further information about Kreation Kate go to http://www.KreationJuice.com.

After eating lunch at “Kreation Kate” and after then going shopping on Abbot Kinney Blvd. and after then watching “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”, I couldn’t help but spend the rest of the night and the next morning thinking about how unpredictably “life goes on.”

CONCLUSION:

• Life is short.
• Life is an adventure.
• Enjoy the ride.
• Carpe the hell out of this diem.

Copyright © 2016 Gary S. Smolker, All Rights Reserved