Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, October 6, 2018

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 6, 2018 

FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett

Jeff’s Book Pics By Jeff Brown


TO LIVE A HAPPIER 
LIFE, SPEND SOME 
TIME THINKING ABOUT 
DEATH

 

Want to know a proven way 
to live a more fulfilling life? 
All you have to do is fully accept the fact that 
one day you’re going to die.

 “I am of the nature to die. There is no way to 
escape death.” -Upajjhatthana Sutta

 The unavoidable nature of death is a basic tenet 
found in every religion. Indeed, the acceptance 
of death is so important in Buddhism that 
“impermanence,” or the fact that everything born 
eventually dies, is at the top of the Buddha’s list 
of the three universal characteristics of existence. 
Before religious practice, Tibetan Buddhists 
chant, “The whole world and its inhabitants are 
impermanent. The life of human beings is like a 
bubble. Death comes without warning; this body 
too will be a corpse.”

 Such teachings may seem morbid, but they’re 
actually designed to awaken you from denial and 
inspire you to fully appreciate life because you 
never know when it will end. 

 “How sad it is that most of us only begin to 
appreciate our life when we are at the point of 
dying.” -Sogyal Rinpoche

 Numerous individuals have discovered 
that contemplating and accepting their own 
mortality is a powerful source of happiness. 
It may seem counterintuitive, but this isn’t 
something only found in religious teachings; 
it’s also been demonstrated by modern science. 
Countless healthcare professionals report that 
people facing terminal illness often experience an 
incredible sense of peace and fulfillment in the 
days and weeks before they die. Many of them 
describe the acceptance of death as a life-changing 
event, confessing they never knew what it meant 
to live until they knew they were going to die. 
The same is true for many who undergo a near-
death experience (NDE). After staring death in 
the face, they report that their lives have much 
greater meaning. They frequently make dramatic 
life changes because they know without a doubt 
that any day, even today, might be their last.

 “It is only in the face of death that man’s self is 
born.” -St Augustine

 You’ve undoubtedly heard the key to happiness 
is to be fully present in each and every moment. 
This advice is also derived from acceptance of 
death. By accepting that death is inevitable, 
we’re inspired to embrace every second of 
our lives with more gratitude and joy because 
we know that our existence is so fleeting. 
If you’ve been avoiding thinking about and 
preparing for death, you may be missing out 
on an incredible opportunity. What all these 
experiences show us is that death is an essential 
part of what makes life so sweet. 

 One of the biggest steps in accepting death is 
to prepare for it with proper estate planning. And 
proper estate planning is needed, regardless of 
how big or small you think your estate is, because 
no matter what, your family is going to have to 
handle whatever you have when you’re gone. 
Indeed, facing life’s greatest fear head-on 
and using it as an opportunity to protect and 
provide for your family is one of the greatest 
gifts you can give yourself and those you love. 
Dedicated to empowering your family, building 
your wealth and protecting your legacy,

 

A local attorney and father, Marc Garlett is on a 
mission to help parents protect what they love most. 
His office is located at 55 Auburn Avenue, Sierra 
Madre, CA 91024. Schedule an appointment to 
sit down and talk about ensuring a legacy of love 
and financial security for your family by calling 
626.587.3058 or visit www.GarlettLaw.com for 
more information.


Reservoir 13: A Novel by Jon McGregor

"The word “collage” implies something static 
and finally fixed, but the beauty of “Reservoir 
13” is in fact rhythmic, musical, ceaselessly 
contrapuntal . . . A remarkable achievement 
[and a] subtleunravelling of what we think 
of as the conventional project of the novel." .
James Wood, The New Yorker. Midwinter in an 
English village. A teenage girl has gone missing. 
Everyone is called upon to join the search. The 
villagers fan out across the moors as the police 
set up roadblocks and a crowd of news reporters 
descends on what is usually a place of peace. 
Meanwhile, there is work that must still be 
done: cows milked, fences repaired, stone cut, 
pints poured, beds made, sermons written, a 
pantomime rehearsed.As the seasons unfold and 
the search for the missing girl goes on, there are 
those who leave the village and those who are 
pulled back; those who come together and those 
who break apart. There are births and deaths; 
secrets kept and exposed; livelihoods made 
and lost; small kindnesses and unanticipated 
betrayals. An extraordinary novel of cumulative 
power and grace, Reservoir 13 explores the 
rhythms of the natural world and the repeated 
human gift for violence, unfolding over thirteen 
years as the aftershocks of a tragedy refuse to 
subside.

1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A 
Life-Changing List by James Mustich 

Celebrate the pleasure of reading and the thrill of 
discovering new titles in an extraordinary book 
that’s as compulsively readable, entertaining, 
surprising, and enlightening as the 1,000-plus 
titles it recommends.Covering fiction, poetry, 
science and science fiction, memoir, travel writing, 
biography, children’s books, history, and more, the book 
ranges across cultures and through time to offer an 
eclectic collection of works that each deserve to come 
with the recommendation, You have to read this. But it’s 
not a proscriptive list of the “great works”—rather, it’s 
a celebration of the glorious mosaic that is our literary 
heritage.Flip it open to any page and be transfixed by a 
fresh take on a very favorite book. Or come across a title 
you always meant to read and never got around to. Or, 
like browsing in the best kind of bookshop, stumble on a 
completely unknown author and work, and feel that tingle 
of discovery. There are classics, of course, and unexpected 
treasures, too. Lists to help pick and choose, like Offbeat 
Escapes, or A Long Climb, but What a View. And its 
alphabetical arrangement by author assures that 
surprises await on almost every turn of the page, 
with Cormac McCarthy and The Road next to 
Robert McCloskey and Make Way for Ducklings, 
Alice Walker next to Izaac Walton. There are 
nuts and bolts, too—best editions to read, other 
books by the author, “if you like this, you’ll like 
that” recommendations , and an interesting 
endnote of adaptations where appropriate. Add 
it all up, and in fact there are more than six 
thousand titles by nearly four thousand authors 
mentioned—a life-changing list for a lifetime 
of reading.“The ultimate literary bucket list.” —
THE WASHINGTON POST.

A Winter's Promise: Book One of The 
Mirror Visitor Quartet by Christelle Dabos 
(Author), Hildegarde Serle (Translator)

Adult readers who gravitated toward the intricate 
world-building of Harry Potter or reveled in the 
dark trickeries of Philip Pullman's The Golden 
Compass will find themselves ensnared by the 
enchantments of A Winter's Promise. Lose 
yourself in the fantastic world of the arks and 
in the company of unforgettable characters in 
this French runaway hit, Christelle Dabos’ The 
Mirror Visitor quartet.Plain-spoken, headstrong 
Ophelia cares little about appearances. Her 
ability to read the past of objects is unmatched 
in all of Anima and, what’s more, she possesses 
the ability to travel through mirrors, a skill 
passed down to her from previous generations. 
Her idyllic life is disrupted, however, when she 
is promised in marriage to Thorn, a taciturn and 
influential member of a distant clan. Ophelia 
must leave all she knows behind and follow her 
fiancé to Citaceleste, the capital of a cold, icy ark 
known as the Pole, where danger lurks around every corner 
and nobody can be trusted. There, in the presence of her 
inscrutable future husband, Ophelia slowly realizes that 
she is a pawn in a political game that will have far-reaching 
ramifications not only for her but for her entire world.
The World of the Arks.Long ago, following a cataclysm 
called the Rupture, the world was shattered into many 
floating celestial islands, now known as arks. Over each, 
the spirit of an omnipotent and immortal ancestor abides. 
The inhabitants of these arks each possess a unique power. 
Ophelia, with her ability to read the pasts of objects, must 
navigate this fantastic, disjointed, perilous world using her 
trademark tenacity and quiet strength.An unforgettable 
heroine, and a rich and bountiful universe.The 3 reviews 
are from Amazon .com


HEALTHY LIFESTYLES


MOVE, BREATHE, CREATE

FREE EVENT! FOOLISH MORTALS AT 

SIERRA MADRE PLAYHOUSE ON OCTOBER 24

In yoga, we have 
asana – the physical 
practice, pranayama-- 
the breath practice, 
and meditation-- the 
practice of devotion to 
the divine and stillness. 
Interestingly, each 
practice can be related 
back to our life – the past, present, and future. 
Asana (yoga poses) addresses our past 
by working within the body. Have you ever 
heard that the body is a “memory bank” of our 
experiences? This applies to both short-term and 
long-term experiences. The stress of something 
that happened 20 years ago can literally still 
be in the body. Day-to-day, our bodies are 
continually affected by our environment as well 
as what we eat and what we think. A good yoga 
class can aid the body in releasing accumulated 
stress, immediately and over time, as a student 
continues in their practice. Think chiseling away 
at a beautiful sculpture or removing cobwebs 
from the eaves. Once the excess is removed, 
you can see clearly what’s underneath. Our 
body is the same; asana clears the cobwebs and 
releases tension so that we can move freely. 
Pranayama brings us in the present moment. 
You can observe your breath in the here and 
now. In creating a rhythm with the breath, 
its unconscious pattern is changed, directly 
affecting the present moment. You know this 
when you take intentional deep breaths. They 
can calm you down, energize you, or create 
a desired effect. The breath is the first place 
to go to cultivate present moment awareness. 
Finally, meditation addresses the future. 
Meditation is the place where stillness and oneness 
with the Divine take place. Over time, this devotion 
will bring authenticity and freedom to you. This 
is one of the best places to move forward in life 
and live fully and freely. The practice of stillness 
has far-reaching benefits beyond compare. 
On those words, dive into yoga! Melt stress 
away, be in the moment and create a bright future 
through your yoga practice. Ask questions and get 
started, contact me today: keely@keelytotten.com. 
Namaste,

 Keely Totten, Yoga & 

Meditation Teacher, 

Writer, Mama

Just in time for Halloween, AKT Academy at 
Sierra Madre Playhouse will present Foolish 
Mortals.

 AKT Academy is a company of young artists in 
residence under the direction of Alison Kalmus 
at Sierra Madre Playhouse. Foolish Mortals (the 
name comes from Shakespeare) are the most 
advanced performers of AKT Academy. The 
Foolish Mortals are Julian Moser, Alison Wang, 
Kevin Ying, Eliza Cevallos, Aidan O’Connor, 
Jude Gomez, Selina Ho, Myles Hutchinson and 
Momo Inouye-Wu.

 The Foolish Mortals will perform two 
works: Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy 
Hollow and Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven, both 
pieces appropriately atmospheric and spooky for 
the season. They’ll be presented in the style of old-
time radio drama, with live sound effects.

 The Foolish Mortals will be joined in this 
performance by special guest Sierra Madre 
Estimated running time: One hour.

 Wednesday, October 24, 2018 at Seven P.M. 
At Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre 
Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024. This is just east of 
Pasadena. There is ample free parking behind the 
Playhouse. Admission is free. Reservations are not 
necessary. Website: www.sierramadreplayhouse.
org Phone: (626) 355-4318.


THE MISSING PAGE

Real Life Tips from LIfe's Instruction Manual


Lori A. Harris

RECOGNIZE AND UNIFY

You are a unique expression of life. Your life is an 
expression of the Divine. What would it take for you to 
live your life from that state of awareness? How might you 
move and approach life differently?

 There is a five-step process known as affirmative prayer. 
I will introduce you to each of the steps for the next few 
weeks. The first step is RECOGNITION. 

 Recognize that there is but ONE LIFE, ONE 
INFINITE PRESENCE, ONE UNIVERSE.

 The next is UNIFICATION.

 Our beautiful bodies have some of the same 
components as the stars.

 There are many other elements, but our bodies contain 
traces of precious metals like gold and silver.

 Just as different elements are forged inside of stars. Stars 
are so large and have such gravitational pull that the atoms 
at their center become incredibly hot. In this heat, pairs of 
hydrogen atoms undergo fusion and combine to become 
helium molecules.

 When these stars burn out and cause massive 
explosions they disburse chemical elements and throw 
them about the Universe as supernovas. They disburse 
into clouds of gas and form stars 
and planets, including Earth. The 
planets redistribute the elements 
and some are found within us. We 
are part of all that is.

 Think of your breath. Each 
breath you take contains about ten 
sextillion atoms. As we inhale, we 
take in 1 atom of those ten sextillion 
breaths in the atmosphere. And we 
release a similar number on our exhale. As we breathe we 
are sharing our breath with our human family.

 Knowing there is only one life living and moving and 
having its being as us. We have a daily opportunity to 
recognize life and celebrate it. We get to dwell in union 
with this presence. 

 Enjoy your life today knowing you have star quality and 
you are not alone.

 Lori Harris is a lawyer and a Certified Life Mastery 
Consultant. She delights in helping her clients teaching 
the spiritual tenets of success. Learn more at LoriAHarris.
com or download her Gratitude Train App.

 
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