Eric Johnson

Early Unwrapping

December 7, 2010 by Eric Johnson Leave a Comment

I have a confession to make—I opened my best Christmas gifts early this year. Although to be accurate I really had no other choice because the best (real) gifts I received came incrementally over the course of this past year. I received so many in fact, it would be next-to-impossible to list them all.

The first gift I received came on January One, 2010. It was the gift of a new year. For reasons I can’t explain, some time before it arrived I had a premonition about receiving this gift and I became progressively
excited about it as the date approached. In fact, I became so excited I actually stayed up until 11:59 PM on December 31st, just so that I could unwrap it at the first possible opportunity.

As the time when I would receive my gift drew closer, much to my surprise, everyone I came in contact with seemed to be excited too. Apparently, we were all expecting the same gift. And when 12:00 AM,
January 1, 2010 finally arrived, that’s exactly what happened—everyone received the exact same gift. Incredible! At the precise moment that everyone unwrapped their gift “New Year’s” gift, cheers, smiles and kisses were everywhere, as worries and troubles and fears of every kind were completely blotted out. What an amazing gift!

My next gift came shortly after that one and it came in the form of a “realization.” It was the gift of understanding that each subsequent 12:00 AM held the same promise as that first one. By now you’ve
probably figured out what came next—yes, I continued to receive what turned out to be a wonderful string of “new” days, one after the other, each one filled with promise and the fact that events that occurred prior did not determine everything that would occur going forward.

As it turned out, I opened (early) a total of an additional 364 of these gifts in 2010. But that’s not all. I also received and un-wrapped a liberal measure of other gifts. Some of these were expected, like the
special celebrations of my son’s graduation from high school and my wife’s and my thirty-fourth wedding anniversary; some were not, like unexpected visits from old friends. And, as if that were not enough, I
also received numerous get-togethers and conversations with friends and loved-ones, and even the special gift of making some new friends!

Yes, I was blessed in 2010 with a great many gifts, all of which I opened early.

This holiday season, I wish for you the very best of everything that life has to offer. And I hope and trust that you, too, have already unwrapped the most precious gifts… “early!”

Support Those Who Serve

November 7, 2010 by Eric Johnson Leave a Comment

November is special. It just feels good—especially here in California. We get to enjoy a bit of the vibrant colors and crisp morning air that announce the change in seasons, but avoid the ice and frigid temperatures our eastern friends contend with. Where else but in California do you have clear blue skies and seventy degree weather in November?

It’s also special because it includes holidays that have somehow avoided commercialization. On Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving, it’s all about reflection and expressing gratitude. It’s a time to consider the many sacrifices others have made, and continue to make, for us.

In this month’s issue of ALIVE you’ll find two very special articles that remind us of the people who serve—in the military and as first responders—who make sacrifices every day so that we might enjoy life as we know it, here in the United States.

In the first article (page 14) by Anita Venezia, you’ll learn about Fallen Heroes, an incredible organization that works to provide comprehensive support and care for the families of fallen police officers and firefighters. Then, on page 18 you’ll find The Front Lines of Caring, an article about TroopsDirect.org, an organization that collects and delivers much-needed supplies to our front line soldiers in Afghanistan.

In both stories we are reminded that while we have much to be thankful for, we all have the responsibility to do what we can to support those who serve us. In the case of these two extraordinary organizations, it was one, Tom Gallinatti (Fallen Heroes) and Aaron Negherbon (TroopsDirect.org) who chose to “walk the walk” and put real action into helping those who serve, by founding these fine support organizations.

On behalf of the writers and production staff at ALIVE we dedicate this month’s issue to our men and women in uniform, and their families—the soldiers, police officers and firefighters, who, in one way or another, serve all of us by insuring the freedoms, safety and security that we enjoy. We are blessed to live here, in this unique country, only because of the sacrifice of these special people.

Truly, November is special.

A Very Good Time

October 7, 2010 by Eric Johnson

This time, like all other times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

I’ve had some interesting conversations lately with many of our advertisers. In the course of these discussions I have noticed an interesting trend—business owners who are open to creative, new ideas and who speak with positive expectations are the ones surviving in spite of the current (apparent) market. Those unreceptive to new ideas or resistant to change have either already closed their doors or appear close to that unfortunate end. As the dynamics of our economy have changed over the past two years, this trend has become increasingly apparent. But it is much more than just “positive thinking”—it’s all about doing.

Here at ALIVE, we are acutely aware of changes in our own industry. One of the primary elements of that awareness is that in order to better serve our readers and advertisers we have to leave outdated methods behind. We know that our readers enjoy the printed version of ALIVE, but we also know many of them expect more, as increasingly they look to the internet, video, and mobile devices for enhancements to their “ALIVE experience.”

In lock step with this is a change in how we work with advertisers. Today, the printed version of ALIVE Magazine provides but one dimension in a multi-media platform called ALIVE Mediaworks, where our advertisers’ access to consumers extends far beyond the vehicle of print, with a growing online, cable television and mobile device presence. For example, we recently launched a consumer-focused website, www.alivemarketplace.com, which serves as an enhancement to our exciting new ALIVE Marketplace iPhone application.

In addition to these cutting-edge methods of serving readers and advertisers, we have enhanced the “brick and mortar” of ALIVE’s impact by establishing a network of over eighty display racks for ALIVE in high traffic, upscale locations throughout the Diablo Valley, in addition to a strong, targeted mailed distribution program.

And what has been the result of these enhancements? We are enjoying explosive growth in our readership as evidenced by regular, week upon week increases—sometimes as much as 50%–in traffic on our AliveEastBay.com website. And as for our display racks, at locations like Whole Foods in Walnut Creek and Draeger’s Market in Blackhawk, no fewer than hundreds of issues of ALIVE each week are being chosen by their upscale clientele.

In the coming months, we’ll be adding even more to the value of ALIVE as we launch our Droid and iPad versions of both ALIVE Magazine and the ALIVE Marketplace program.

Indeed, for ALIVE readers and advertisers alike, this truly is a very good time!

YOU Can Make a Difference for Chelsea’s Hope: September 26th

August 29, 2010 by Eric Johnson

Five years ago, Chelsea Gerber, 19, a Danville resident, was about to begin Monte Vista High School, becoming a more independent teen, enjoying friends, and living a life filled with promise. Today Chelsea, 100% dependent upon others, is confined to a wheelchair and is unable to walk, talk, or adequately think. Chelsea has been diagnosed with Lafora.

Lafora is the most virulent, progressive and degenerative form of epilepsy known and usually strikes young healthy kids in their early teen years. With its devastating nature, Lafora slowly tears away their ability to walk, talk and function. Children with Lafora suffer from rampant grand mal seizures, loss of cognition and generally, within 10 years, they lose their life. LAFORA HAS NO CURE.

What transpired between Chelsea’s diagnosis in January 2006 and now has been the birth of Chelsea’s Hope: Lafora Children Research Fund. Chelsea’s Hope began out of helplessness, isolation, devastation and a need to believe in miracles. With just a few hundred diagnosed cases of Lafora worldwide, there was little information available, no resources for families, and essentially no funding for research.

Chelsea’s Hope, an IRS non-profit corporation, is the only organization dedicated to connecting families, creating awareness and raising funds for Lafora research. Within these past several years, our organization has grown into a community of families dedicated to emotionally supporting one another, who have become in their own right, experts in the care of their children’s medical needs.

We have developed a strong bond with the few leading Lafora researchers in the world, presently at UCLA Medical Center and Sick Children’s Hospital in Toronto, helping them by bringing forth an awareness of Lafora publicly, and thus, have been instrumental in helping families receive long sought after diagnosis for their children.

We are proud that Chelsea’s Hope has raised over $225,000 for Lafora research. With these funds, protocols have been supported which has led to the recent FDA approval for the drug, Gentamicin, to be used on Lafora patients, those with certain mutations. This long awaited approval represents HOPE, while it is not a cure, it promises to halt the progression, temporarily, while a search for a cure continues. This is the first medical treatment that will be used on Lafora children as opposed to medications administered solely for seizure control.

We are doing what we can, with a mournful yet empowered heart, to make a difference in Chelsea’s life and every other child’s life that is affected by Lafora. What these children have lost should not happen to any other child. No parent should have to wait years for a diagnosis only to hear, “I’m sorry, there is no cure.” It is our dream, our wish and the reason for our existence, that one day when a child is diagnosed with Lafora, that instead of hearing the word fatal, parents will learn there is a treatment.

Last year, at our first fundraising event, Dr. Escueta of UCLA, stated in his 20 years of Lafora research no one had ever raised funds to support this work. He also mentioned that if medical research funds were made available, it is believed a cure could be found within a few years.

Please join us for the Premiere of The Chelsea’s Hope Documentary Film, meet the researchers and participate in keeping hope alive at our second annual fundraiser September 26, 2010 at the Blackhawk Museum.

Chelsea’s Hope brings hope to many and, is indisputably, making a difference for children suffering from Lafora.

To learn about Lafora, read about our children, make your donation, and attend our event, go to www.chelseashope.org.

Technology Touch

August 29, 2010 by Eric Johnson

In the short bonus section that plays at the end of the film, Napoleon Dynamite, Napoleon’s brother, Kip, sings a song to his bride at their wedding that expresses his comparative love for her and technology—“…yes, I love technology, but not as much as you, you see… always and forever…” he sings, as he wipes a tear from his eye. While it’s pretty hilarious, you still feel touched by Kip’s sincerity—yes, he is s a geek but it’s a heartfelt gesture of true love just the same.

I sometimes wonder, with today’s swirl of computers, smartphones, iPads and GPS units, are we drowning in a techno-polluted sea of our own making? Are we losing touch with what it means to be human? Would our quality of life be better if we took a few steps back and lived without our steady press forward into a future seemingly filled with ever more clever gadgets and gizmos?

I’d say it’s a matter of perspective—of keeping “things” in their proper place in the hierarchy of human affairs. We must remember that technology is a means to, not an end in itself. As the saying goes, “The most important things in life are not things.” How and why we use technology defines its value, so if we strive to create and use it in ways that support virtue and health, I say, “Bring it on—the more technology, the better.” We just need to control the technology, not let it control us.
Of course our cover this month is certainly all about technology. Our ALIVE Marketplace application is just one way we’re doing our best at ALIVE to add value to what we offer to our readers and advertisers.

Technology is neutral. So long as the motivation behind it is to make life better and serve those around us, then our satellite radios, microwaves and graphite golf clubs are good things. It’s okay to love technology, but not as much as you, you see, always and forever…

Expand Your Circle

August 6, 2010 by Eric Johnson

In his groundbreaking self-help book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen Covey claims that one of the key elements of habit number one (being proactive) is to focus on what he describes as one’s “Circle of Influence,” as opposed to one’s “Circle of Concern.”

He explains that, “Proactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Influence. They work on things they can do something about. The nature of their energy is positive, enlarging and magnifying, causing their Circle of Influence to increase.” He then goes on to describe a person who focuses their attention on their Circle of Concern: “Reactive people, on the other hand, focus their efforts in the Circle of Concern. They focus on the weakness of other people, the problems in the environment, and circumstances over which they have no control. Their focus results in blaming and accusing attitudes, reactive language, and increased feelings of victimization. The negative energy generated by that focus, combined with neglect in areas they could do something about, causes their Circle of Influence to shrink.”

I am of the opinion that one of the best ways to work within and enlarge one’s Circle of Influence is to donate time to a worthy cause, and that one of the best places to find these is through a local church. Now before you jump on me for suggesting it, let’s forget about the “church” label for a moment and consider what resources that just one local church, New Life in Alamo (see their ad on page 23), offer to those seeking to positively change (help) their world through their own “Circle of Influence.”

First, they support the San Francisco City Academy (see “Miracle on Jones Street,” by Clint Ladine). For 11 years the City Academy has been providing educational opportunities for the underserved children of the Tenderloin District. These kids are being taking from a path of gangs, violence, and prison, and set on a new path of opportunity, healthy relationships and success. This program, which receives no support from the City or government, provides an education, hot meals, after-school opportunities, and basic medical services for these children.

New Life Church supports a number of other effective programs that directly impact lives in important, even life-saving, ways. Through New Life, your Circle of Influence can include helping the homeless in San Francisco’s Tenderloin through the San Francisco Rescue Mission, or teenagers in Oakland and San Jose through a youth drug treatment program called Teen Challenge. You can even expand your “Circle” to positively impact the lives of people in other parts of the world, like in Mexico through a program called Open Arms, where impoverished children are provided hot meals, an education and most importantly the experience of God’s love through people who care.

Want to be a “highly successful person?” Then focus on the things you can really do something about—focus on your Circle of Influence. And an easy way to do that is to be involved in your local church.

Independence and The American Recovery Act

July 15, 2010 by Eric Johnson

Without question, July is one of my favorite months. It’s a time of simple pleasures, like bare feet on the packed wet sand of a Santa Cruz beach and feeling the silky wrap of front-porch-warm evenings. It’s also the month I celebrate the anniversaries of two of the happiest days of my life. Thirty-four years ago I scooped every other man alive by marrying the most beautiful woman on the planet and nineteen years ago she and I were blessed by the birth of a son who is, before our eyes, becoming a man of character of a sort that I aspire to.

Added to these, I share in the broader celebration with most Americans in the recognition of Independence Day—the fourth of July. Of course if you follow much of the media, you might be left with the impression that we have little to celebrate of late. Bad news sells, after all.

Ever contrarian, at ALIVE we do not share in the dire descriptions of our media comrades. Need a little boost in your patriotic pride for the American economy? Look no further than Damien Couture’s uplifting Market Watch article on page 49, as he does a terrific job in setting the record straight—when it comes to the economic engine of the world, America remains in front.

To be sure, we face a number of challenges these days, but we must remember that we have something of enormous power that we can depend upon to solve these issues—the “American Recovery Act.” Of course I’m not referring to the American Recovery Act of the billboard variety that politicians use to advance their personal agendas; the one I mean is the feeling in your gut if you are a person whose eyes still well when you hear our national anthem.

Our hope and our pride as Americans still come from the same place inside as it did for the great men and women who conceived this nation: That America is called the “United” States because it is, in the final analysis, a group united, ultimately made of collections of counties, then cities and towns, then neighborhoods, streets, homes, families and finally, freedom loving individuals.

Every July 4th we celebrate much more than our national liberation—we celebrate our independence as individuals as we enjoy the glorious blessing of freedom which our nation provides.

As I consider the many reasons why July is one of my favorite months, may God bless you and yours as you celebrate your independence. And may He continue to bless the United States of America.

Congratulations Graduates!

June 3, 2010 by Eric Johnson

Once again, scores of young people stand at the threshold of the future as they prepare for graduation. For some this year’s commencement is but another step in a path of higher learning, for others, their formal academic path complete, it is now time to venture into the “real” world.

In recent years I had the pleasure of congratulating my dearest niece and nephew for their accomplishments at graduation, but this year’s celebrations promise to be especially meaningful as my own son and his closest friends join the ranks of new graduates.

At the risk of bending to the temptation of offering parental advice, I ask that you indulge one proud father a few words that I would share with my son and all of the graduates of 2010. I promise this will be no laundry list of dos and don’ts, for I really have only one point to make, and it is this:

Always remember who and what you are, and remember that you can always depend upon His promises.

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord.”—Jeremiah 29:11-14.

I offer my heartfelt congratulations to you son, for I could not be more proud. And likewise to all graduates everywhere: may this be the beginning of a wonderful and exciting journey for you all!

The Three Fs

May 7, 2010 by Eric Johnson

I don’t watch much television, but one program I catch every once in a while is Man Versus Wild, with Bear Grylls. There is something fascinating about a guy who confidently dives head first into a frigid, ice-covered pond to capture a wiggling trout with his bare hands; who then, without skipping a beat, proceeds to devour the creature—fins, bones, eyes and all.

Grylls is always animated yet matter-of-factly confident as he demonstrates these extreme survival techniques. This is true of every episode I’ve seen—except one. I don’t recall the exact circumstances, but in this particular episode, night was falling as Grylls’ normally steady composure seemed to flag a bit. He was obviously tired, and while there was a film crew nearby, he was apparently feeling lonely. He then said something that, while out of character for Grylls, seemed very real and heartfelt. To paraphrase, he said, “when things seem bleak; when I start to feel down or alone, I always remember the three Fs — friends, family and faith.”

Attitude is everything, and Grylls’ statement resonated as probably the most useful and powerful survival technique he had ever shared. Keeping the “three Fs” in mind can go a very long way indeed, on every level—physically, emotionally and spiritually. In my day-to-day routine, I try to make a point of thinking about the three Fs, whenever I can, but confess that sometimes, I forget.

One of the most amazing things about the three Fs is that if you do happen to forget, they will be there for you anyway, ready to reach out and lift you up when you need it most. Take the “friends” part of the three Fs, for example. I recently discovered that I have one I have yet to meet in person, as a result of writing this column every month. Her name is Dorothy, a local Alive reader.

In a letter I received from her recently, Dorothy expressed her appreciation for Alive Magazine and for the positive message we try to convey. She composed a beautiful, eloquent letter, complimenting all of our editorial contributors. In short, Dorothy took the time to open a door of friendship to me that, due to the circumstances of the day, could not have arrived at a more appropriate time. I wasn’t expecting it, but one of the three Fs reached out and lifted me, just when I needed it.

What else can I say but, “Thank you Dorothy. Thank you for being the kind and caring person that you are. I appreciate your gesture and words, and hope you will grant me the honor of adding you to my three Fs list, as you may certainly count on me to be on yours!”

April 2010

April 10, 2010 by Eric Johnson

Our lead article in April is by Anita Venezia on The Crucible – is a non-profit arts education center in West Oakland that fosters a collaboration of arts, industry and community. Michael Copeland wants to know “What Does Going Green Mean?”. And Tina Swerdlow advises us to “Disengage From Passive-Aggressive Communications: Flex Your Assertiveness Muscles.”

Plus, of course, our usual assortment of articles on style, fashion, health and fitness, food, automobiles, investing, the arts and all those elements which make ALIVE, well, so alive.