Page 2 April 23, 2020 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Kinecta Federal Credit Union’s
Commitment to Community
and Protecting the Planet
Letters
Keep Your Distance
With the sunny weather on Saturday the
11th, I was among those on the popular walk
down Grand towards the beach, but meantime
very careful to maintain the recommended
distance of isolation. With no access to the
beach, I merely continued a little north on
the quiet east (inland) side of Vista del Mar.
Turning back, I was approached by three
joggers from the opposite direction. Nothing
of concern in that alone but the shock came
when the young person in the lead charged
straight at me, never deviating from her path
despite plenty of detour room and, breathing
heavily, passed me by inches. All I could do
was turn my back, which she appeared to
find amusing. With 20,000 dead Americans
and some segments of the populace extraordinarily
vulnerable, keep in mind there are
plenty who don’t give a damn. I should have
tripped her.
– Edward Ryan •
Your Neighborhood Therapist
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As a not-for-profit financial cooperative, we
consider it both a privilege and an obligation
to give back to the communities where our
members and employees live and work. In
2019, our employees and our subsidiaries
volunteered more than 8,800 hours, raised
more than $650,000 in charitable donations,
and participated in more than 180 community
events, including annual beach clean-ups in
partnership with Heal the Bay.
Whether it’s providing scholarships and
grants to deserving students and teachers,
offering sound advice at our free financial
workshops, supporting local businesses or
hosting our annual food drive, service is at
the core of who we are.
Our love for the community extends to
the environment. On Earth Day, we reflect
on the importance of responsible corporate
citizenship and doing our part to protect the
planet. We’ve upgraded to drought-tolerant
landscaping at our Manhattan Beach headquarters,
reducing water usage by more than
half. Additionally, we are in the process of
upgrading our interior and exterior lighting
to LED/time sensors to reduce energy usage
at our Operations Center in El Segundo. With
the help of our employees, Kinecta recycles
all e-waste and toners, and saves energy with
nightly computer monitor shutdowns.
Other green initiatives at our newer, stateof
the locations include adding electric vehicle
charging stations, bike racks to encourage fewer
cars on the road, energy-efficient mechanical
& electrical systems and carpeting made from
recycled materials.
For our members, Kinecta offers e-Statements
as an alternative to traditional paper statements,
which reduce waste and the risk of identity theft.
In honor of Earth Day, we hosted Shredfest, an
annual paper-shredding event for the public to
safely and conveniently dispose of sensitive and
unwanted documents. Since 2016, more than 27
tons of personal documents have been safely
shredded, recycled and diverted from landfills.
While these initiatives support sustainability,
Kinecta is also committed to lending money in
an environmentally responsible way. We will
never finance coal, oil pipeline or any other
projects that pollute the air and water, sponsor
deforestation or otherwise contribute to the
destruction of natural resources.
We welcome you to join us in the movement
to protect and preserve the Earth. By becoming
a member of Kinecta, you’re supporting an
organization dedicated to giving back to the
community and preserving our environment
for future generations. To learn more visit
www.kinecta.org.
Keith Sultemeier is the President & CEO of
Kinecta Federal Credit Union and has been
working in banking for two decades. Headquartered
in Manhattan Beach and banking
the South Bay for 80 years, Kinecta is one of
the nation’s largest credit unions. •
Keith Sultemeier
Dear Neighborhood Therapist,
I am one of the lucky ones who still has
a job. My company cut salaries across the
board, mine included, and even though I’m
home and able to work from home I am now
working harder than ever, twelve hours a day,
six or seven days a week, and I’m exhausted
physically and mentally. Even though I have
no commute, I feel like I see my family less
than before. My job pays most of the bills, so
my husband cares for our young child, and
I feel like an inadequate mother. On top of
this I feel guilty for even thinking this way,
knowing how many people are hurting right
now. Is there some way to reduce this anxiety?
– “Lucky” Me
Dear Lucky Me,
You have lamented that you don’t get to
spend time with your family, so I’m guessing
that family togetherness is something
that you value. You have noted that your
job pays most of the bills, so I’m guessing
that being a provider is something that you
value. You have noted your interest in being
an adequate mother, and while we know that
society unfairly critiques mothers’ parenting
much more than that of fathers, I suspect you
value having a close and loving relationship
with your child. You mentioned you feel
guilty that you are employed while others
are not, so I would bet that you care about
your neighbors and your community.
If I’m right - if you are a family- and
community-oriented, loving person with a
sense of responsibility - then a lot of things
that you value are being tested right now. To
make it worse, there is an entire movement
dedicated to “leaning in” that insists that
working mothers can “have it all” if they get
with some imaginary program that includes
having time and money and energy and a
worthy partner. Any one of those stressors
is enough to invite Anxiety to charge in like
a schoolyard bully. Together, the problems
can seem to invite a whole gang of Anxiety
Bullies.
Are you planning to suddenly turn into a
bully yourself? Will you cause so much trouble
that you’ll scare the Anxiety Bullies away?
Will you stop caring and lose interest in the
well-being of your family and community?
No, no, and no? No bully likes being called
out, and the Anxiety Bullies are no exception.
Take them on one by one. Give them each
a hard stare and tell them that you know
exactly why they are here, how long they
can stay, and what will make them leave.
Remind them they’re not strong enough to
Entertainment
Endings, Beginnings, An Observation
of Complicated Love(s)
By Morgan Rojas for Cinemacy.com
“Everything might not be ok, but that’s
ok. You’re exactly where you need to be.”
It’s a sentiment that’s exceptionally fitting
right now, and a beautiful takeaway from
Endings, Beginnings, the latest feature from
director Drake Doremus. In these times of
self-isolation and social distancing, I’m
finding his films to be more therapeutic
than ever. Although we may be watching
from within our homes on VOD, we will
still be connected through its message that:
We’re allowed to give ourselves the room
for personal exploration without judgment,
and the vulnerability to admit our universal
human desire: to love and be loved.
Daphne (Shailene Woodley) is fresh off
a breakup with her long-term boyfriend
(Matthew Gray Gubler) and currently calling
her sister’s Los Angeles pool house home.
After four years of struggling to find contentment
in her relationship –”Searching
for a yes, and never finding it” – the only
commitment she is looking forward to having
is the one with herself. Daphne romanticizes
her future; full of travel plans, bold
expressions, and wild adventures. But
her intentions are tested when she meets
Jack (Jamie Dornan) and Frank (Sebastian
Stan), two men who light up Daphne in
very different ways, and who also happen
to be best friends. This unexpected and
complicated love triangle forces Daphne to
re-examine past traumas and dependencies
and re-prioritize the future she had envisioned
for herself.
Scrolling Instagram during personal moments
of self-inflicted sappiness, I recently
came across a saying that’s stuck with me,
“The timing isn’t wrong, the person is.” In
this case, Daphne finds compatibility and is
attracted to two men, one providing passion
and one stability. This sexual vs intellectual
chemistry provokes an emotional crisis that
Shailene Woodley portrays with incredible
honesty. Her performance is raw, selfish, and,
admittedly, relatable. Co-stars Jamie Dornan
and Sebastian Stan meet her level of artistry,
creating scenes that cut right to the heart.
Endings, Beginnings is made up of an
abundance of subtext and that is partly fueled
by the film’s soundtrack and Frank’s “Music
To Suffer To” Spotify playlist. Moody tracks
from Beach House, Hayden Thorpe, Lawrence
Rothman, and more act as musical poetry that
embellishes every scene. Additional subtext
and emotional catharsis swirl throughout the
film and let the audience fill in the blanks
with occurrences from their own lives. Bluetoned
cinematography by Marianne Bakke
and imaginative editing by Garret Price also
gives the film its dream-like quality.
Triangles have sharp edges, and when it
comes to love, someone’s bound to get hurt.
Endings, Beginnings, now streaming, is a
reminder that even with earnest intentions,
life doesn’t always go according to plan.
The sooner we are able to accept this reality
with love and grace, the happier and more
fulfilled our crazy, chaotic, and beautiful
lives will be. •
Endings, Beginnings, Courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn
Morgan Rojas
PAID EDITORIAL
See Therapist, page 7
Film Review