Page 2 August 6, 2020
In Rebuilding Paradise, Ron Howard
Remembers California’s Deadliest Wildfire
By Morgan Rojas for cinemacy.com
On November 8, 2018, the once prominent
gold-mining town of Paradise, California
was overtaken by uncontrollable fire, heavy
smoke, and the chaos of a community leaving
everything behind. The Golden State is
no stranger to the occasional forest fire in
the summer months, but the Camp Fire was
different. It was much, much worse.
Ron Howard’s documentary Rebuilding
Paradise shows the fateful day when a
malfunction from a Pacific Gas & Electric
electrical transmission ripped through
this humble community, torching 95% of
the town, killing 85 people, and leaving
50,000 residents displaced. The first twenty
minutes are really difficult to sit through with
dry eyes. Horrifying footage from survivors
fleeing the fire, people saying goodbye to
their houses, hospital patients being wheeled
out on stretchers during the evacuation, and
intimate 911 calls are hard to stomach. The
film takes on a bit more of an optimistic tone
post-fire, with determined residents banding
together to get through their shared devastation
in hopes of returning to Paradise again.
Ron Howard’s masterful direction re-enforces
the fact that nothing humanizes us more
than a tragedy. His interviews with survivors
are heart-wrenching and empathetic. Watching
them, we are reminded that disasters don’t
discriminate. The film’s release in 2020 is,
perhaps, not ideal, as we’re still in the middle
of the global pandemic. However, the silver
lining we can take away is the steadfast resilience
and strength from Paradise residents,
which is proof that we can overcome anything
when we look out for and help each other.
Distributed by National Geographic, Rebuilding
Paradise is available to rent via
Laemmle Virtual Cinema. •
In Rebuilding Paradise, courtesy of National Geographic.
Morgan Rojas
Your Neighborhood Therapist
Dear Neighborhood Therapist,
I just got back from the park and I want
to scream. I have spent the last five months
being extremely careful, cooped up in my
house. My kids are going to school online only
this fall. I see these groups of kids playing
together closely, with no masks, and I think
“well, good for them, but how can they do
that?” I see people going to work like nothing
is happening. It seems like life is completely
normal for many people, but not for me. What
am I supposed to think about this? I try to
be reasonable and think, “to each his own,”
but I’m really suffering here. Is it just me?
I feel like I’m going insane.
– Am I Stir Crazy, Hawthorne
Dear Am I Stir Crazy,
It feels like we’ve been on the 405 at rush
hour since March. Some of our cars and
our lives are at a standstill while others go
whizzing blissfully towards their destinations.
We wonder: How did I end up in the wrong
lane? Should I change lanes? Will I cause
an accident if I pull out quickly? What if the
other lane slows down and this one speeds
up? Or we are stuck in the fast lane, boxed
in and unable to pull over to rest, some jerk
riding our rear bumper. If we have kids, it’s
worse, as we wonder if other people’s kids
are going to get further ahead while ours
fall behind.
The comedian George Carlin once observed,
“Have you ever noticed that everyone driving
slower than you is a fool, and everyone driving
faster than you is a maniac?” Such is also the
case, it seems, with global pandemics. With
so many of us driving this unfamiliar road at
different speeds, it might seem inevitable to
feel that others are “doing it wrong” - but we
can never be sure we’re doing it right either.
Close colleagues, dear friends and family
members all find themselves going different
speeds. It is happening in businesses and in
entire communities. Lives and careers forge
ahead while others are on pause.
It’s not just you, but I’m not surprised it
feels that way. As Americans, individualism
is not in our Constitution, but it is in our
constitution. This is great when you want to
build the next Space X, but an “everybody for
themselves” philosophy is perhaps somewhat
less useful when fighting a global pandemic
that requires collective action and leadership.
With political polarization near its historical
zenith, the extraordinary leadership required
to inspire collective action just isn’t there.
We are all in this, but sadly we are not all
in this together.
Can you change the society around you? If
so, go for it and let us know how you did it!
If not, have you found others who share your
level of concern? Being around like-minded
people will certainly help keep anxiety at bay.
Are you able to connect with them? If not,
please reach out - I can help connect you.
Tom Andre is a Licensed Marriage &
Family Therapist (LMFT119254). Please text
to 310.776.5299 or write to tom@tomandrecounseling.
com with questions about handling
what is affecting your life, your family, the
community or the world. The information in
this column is for educational purposes only
and nothing herein should be construed as
professional advice or the formation of a
therapeutic relationship. •
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Hawthorne Press Tribune*
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Huber’s Hiccups
News for the City of Good
Neighbors from an Old Guy
named Norb Huber
Every Day is a Gift
My favorite time of the day is
early morning when the sun is just
coming up. I usually wake up early,
get my usual bowl of Honey Bunches
of Oats with blueberries on top,
and sit down for a short devotional
time. Lately it’s been warm enough at 6ish
to sit out on our patio and feel the warmth
of the early morning sun. After reading a
scripture reading that points my mind in the
right direction, I’m somewhat energized to see
what the day will bring. I pray that the Lord
uses me to be an instrument to love others
and point them to Jesus. With restrictions in
place these days, we have come to appreciate
the little things that make us content. Just
getting out to talk to a neighbor or friend is a
blessing. We no longer can take anything for
granted. Life is so short, precious, fragile and
fickle at times. When we hear the
news of someone we know passing,
we mourn with their families. We
were saddened recently with the
passing of one of Hawthorne’s long
time, devoted volunteers, Darlene
Love. She loved her city and was
an advocate for the people of her
community. Death is so final. One
day our friend is with us, the next
they are not. When it is all said and
done, it’s not what we have accomplished or
done correctly that matters. It’s not whether
or not we have done more good than bad.
It’s not whether we enjoyed a cold one or
was stupid enough to abstain. Life is a gift
and when we recognize that all life originates
from God the Creator we then can understand
our place and purpose here.
Life is a Gift
I stopped by this evening to visit my threeweek
old grandson, Finn Wolf. I guess his
See Huber’s Hiccups, page 8
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