A Soul's Legacy of Love

In honor of the third anniversary of the passing of Paul Walker, I'm reposting this!! I woke up this morning to the news that Furious 7, the latest in the Fast and Furious movie franchise, had topped 1.15 billion in ticket sales.  It has had the #1 spot at the box office for three weeks running and it is now the seventh biggest earning movie of all time.  An amazing feat that some are calling the legacy of Paul Walker.

My first for today is that I am going to find my voice [something that has taken me a long time to do] and go up against some folks who are stating that Paul Walker's legacy is that he left this world by having a billion dollar movie.  I know it definitely is part of his legacy, but as I have stated in a previous blog post, the legacy goes beyond so much more than that.

Over the weekend I had an awesome girl's day with a soul sister of mine.  She excitedly asked me how my trip to LA went for the Furious 7 premier (reference Blog Post from 4/9).  Can I tell you how nice that was?  Someone made a point to ask me about one of the highlights of my year.  Heidi, a hug to you for putting that out there.  Again, I cannot tell you how much that meant to me.

I was asked to describe the feeling of being at the movie premier.  This lead me to writing this blog post.  The question brought me back to what I was feeling on that exact night.  While I was standing amongst so many people from so many walks of life, I realized that what Paul Walker's legacy exemplified was sitting right there in that theater on this warm April night.

On April 1st hundreds of people gathered to celebrate not only the release of his last film, but also to celebrate the person that Paul was.  I won't pretend to know him because I had never met him before his untimely death.  To be honest, before his passing, I had never seen any of his films or been familiar with him as an actor.  I am now getting a really good picture of what he truly must have been like upon meeting some folks who were in his "circle".

For that one night, I felt like all was right with the world.  All was right with the world because I felt such true and utter love.  I felt and saw what his family meant to him and what he meant to his family.  His family was not just biological but situational.  His friends and his fans all gathered together in one spot.  All the love poured out and for one night everyone focused their love on one thing - Paul.  How cool that so much energy was so big in one place.  I saw the effects of what everyone focusing love, instead of say hate or anger, had on a crowd and had on the world.

Getting back to that amazing billion dollar mark, here are my thoughts.  I think that for this small moment in time, people around the world are clamoring to get that same great feeling that I did that night in Hollywood.  I see folks leave the movie theater (having seen it again just this past weekend) with a look on their faces of pure and utter love.  Everyone is leaving the theater in a peaceful, yet emotional state.  Perhaps it is giving them all the impetus to reach out and share their love with someone else.  We never know when our time, or that of a loved one, will come to an end.

So, in closing, Paul, I think that your legacy reaches more than just the box office numbers.  I truly believe that your legacy is one of joining the world together no matter what their race, ethnic, financial, gender or any other group may be.  No matter where someone comes from, you have proven that we can all get along together as long as you throw in that component of love.

Until my next adventure,

P.A. Walker

P.S.  Not to diminish other parts of Paul's legacy, please check out his great work with his charity Reach Out Worldwide (www.roww.org).

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxU4kDmRzIw[/embed]

The Different Sides to Santa Barbara

I have traveled to Santa Barbara several times over the last two years.  It feels like home to me.  Each trip here has me finding more and more layers to it.  This past week I was exposed to just a little more…. I was blessed to be able to experience a conference this week that rocked my world. Basically it was an energetic/business gathering.  I won't get too much into why I was there, but more into what I garnered while I was there.  For years I have been saying I wanted to volunteer at a soup kitchen, homeless shelter, etc.  However, I never made it happen.  Not really sure why, but this week I was able to take part in a group activity that truly changed my world.  Another first!

One of the nights that we were at meeting, we were told to meet at 5:00 in our conference room to find out what we would be doing.  We arrived to find bags of bread, jars of peanut butter and jelly, plus bottled water.  We quickly got down to work and assembled as a group 100 bags of sandwiches and water to pass out to the homeless population in Santa Barbara.  If anyone knows what Santa Barbara is like, you would be hard pressed to believe that such a population exists.  Not only does it, but it is pretty numerous and all around from the beach to the parks.

We set out in small groups to areas that we thought might have some folks in need of a meal.  The biggest gathering that we came to was in Alameda Park downtown.  Sure enough, we came upon many folks that were truly grateful for a sandwich or two.  We spent considerable time just connecting with the folks.  They have stories, lots of stories.  We met a young lady whose family had disowned her after her grandmother died for various reasons.  We met a man who lost everything a month ago in Michigan and was now living in a park in Santa Barbara.  He had an amazing attitude and said, "Hey, who wouldn't want to live here in such a beautiful place?'.  It truly was a mind-shift for sure.

One of the take-aways from this experience that was a huge shift for me was their attitude of we have enough.  What I mean by this is, we would try and hand them enough food for two days and they said no.  They would only take enough for one and say, we are okay for now.  Can you imagine?  These folks don't know where their next meals are coming from and they still said they had enough.  It was a huge lesson for me in abundance, being grateful and realizing that I have more than enough.

The homeless population in Santa Barbara is bigger than most people realize.  There were two gentleman who actually did a documentary about it, the actor Paul Walker and his friend Brandon Birtell.  The documentary was called Shelter.  They worked with a local therapist who was a big advocate in Santa Barbara for the homeless.  He has since retired.  Unfortunately with Paul's untimely passing and the unfavorable response of some to the movie (Paul actually received death threats while promoting it.), most folks have never heard of the documentary.

This issue of homelessness is one of huge importance.  I am so grateful that I was able to have this opportunity to spend some time with some of the homeless population in Santa Barbara.  It certainly changed my view.  I plan to look for more opportunities to help out this cause in the future.  I urge you, the readers, to seek out opportunities to help out as well.  It was amazing how giving to someone else, can give us more in terms of feeling so good about our own lives!

"I know I sound like a broken record, but 10 years ago I was living out of a garage and pan- handling, so just being a little comfortable is more than good for me. In fact, this is heaven." - Paul Walker to the Chicago Sun Times

Until My Next Adventure,

P.A. Walker

Are you ready to say yes to your soul by shifting your perspective to create something extraordinary? I invite you to contact me via email at trish@thesecondhalf.us to schedule a complimentary 30 minute consultation to discuss how we can work together to make your second half of life better than your first.

Please also follow me on my Facebook Page: The Second Half or via Twitter (Patricia A. Walker@50foraYear).

Today The World Was One Big Family

How does one even explain this new adventure? Fate, universal love, karma, not quite sure what it is called. Last week brought with it an amazing first for me. I have never had the opportunity to attend a Hollywood premier. On April 1st, no fooling, that all changed. Let me back up by saying that about two weeks ago, I was standing in my kitchen and the overwhelming feeling that I was about to go to Los Angeles overcame me. Why did this happen? Not quite sure. I just thought to myself, I am going to be going.  I am really learning to trust my intuition, so I proceeded with my day with the understanding that I would be taking yet another trip. I happened to jump on Facebook that same night and messaged a dear friend of mine and told her that I was going to be going to Los Angeles. She reminded me that the World Premier for the latest installment in the Fast and Furious franchise would be taking place right around that time.  I just felt in in my bones. I told her that if it was meant to happen, tickets to the world premier of Furious 7 would just manifest. Again, remember I was now an authority on living the Secret after listening to it for ten hours. Well, I am here to tell you that this stuff really works.

Speed up two weeks, one frequent flier ticket later and a link that once it was clicked sent me into the world of “Congratulations, you now have a ticket to the World Premiere of Furious 7” on April 1^st in Hollywood, California.  It's a long story on how this all evolved.  I won't go into it, just stay tuned for the book…….

The Big Day Arrives

The morning of April 1^st I boarded a plane with an overloaded carry-on bag containing three outfits. After all, what does one wear to a movie premiere?   I also boarded the plane not having seen Fast and Furious 2 through 6. I had speedily watched 1 after learning I was going to be going. It was suggested that I at least get to know the players. I landed amongst the beautiful palm trees, people and sunshine.

Heading to my hotel in Hollywood, I realized that right at that moment the ceremony for Vin Diesel getting his star on the Walk of Fame was taking place. There were so many people that all I could see was the top of his beautiful shiny head.

When you see pictures from these Hollywood events, all looks so glamorous. Don’t get me wrong, it really is glamorous. However, it is also an endurance event. Let me outline my day and night. We started standing online at 2:00 PM. We were told to stand there and they would let us in to get our wristbands. Since we had no concept of time, we were afraid to do anything, leave to go pee, get a drink of water, anything. We did (we being a good friend of mine and myself) start to really get to know the occupants of our line. We had a nice young couple who had left their child with grandma. We also befriended a lovely young lady who had been an extra in the movie. She had driven all the way from Northern California by herself. She was totally a fan.

As the day progressed, 2:00 turned into 3:00 and all the way to 5:30.   At 5:30, we started moving. Yes, I am going to get my wristband and then find the nearest restroom. Guess the April Fool's joke was on me. We were ushered right out to the red carpet. The red carpet in this case, was actually a black and white carpet which resembled a road. There were very cool cars parked all around. We stood on this area for several hours as all the celebrities and beautiful people cycled through their interviews, waving, coming up to us fans and signing autographs and taking pictures. I have to say, everyone was really nice.

We finally got in to see the movie at 11:00 PM.  The movie was amazing. So amazing, that I have already gone to see it again three days after the last viewing. What a beautiful tribute at the end for the late Paul Walker.

Several things became very apparent to me during this day long experience. The cast of this franchise are so close and love each other dearly. They also really care for their fans. Other things that became apparent were that after experiencing the movie premiere I can honestly say I may never do that again. The best thing that became apparent that night was that this movie brought together fans, celebrities, rap stars, producers, family members etc. from all different races, cultures, and for one night, it felt like all was right with the world. All was right with the world and we were one crazy big family. It was truly a feeling I loved and will carry with me throughout the future.

"My philosophy is: If you can't have fun, there's no sense in doing it." - Paul Walker

Until My Next Adventure,

P.A. Walker

Stuff Can't Fill the Heart

After unpacking loads of boxes during my recent remodel and move, it became very apparent that we just have too much “stuff”. What do I need all this stuff for? Why does my son need all these toys?? Why do I need closets and boxes full of clothes?  What kind of habits am I setting him up for as he gets older? After a family discussion, it was decided that for my son’s birthday this year, we would set up a donation page for one of our favorite charities Reach Out Worldwide (www.roww.org). My son surprisingly agreed to do this and as a result, his friends (or at least the moms) thought it was a great idea.  He got over $100 in donations for this great charity. He was excited to watch the total grow and I heard him telling his friends how he chose to do this and what the charity does.  I was overcome with that proud Momma moment.  I was glad to see that he hadn't tipped too far in the other direction!   Not once did he focus on not getting new toys or gifts but instead was very intent on watching the video on their website to learn more about this organization and where his raised donations would be put to use!

After seeing my son's selfless act, I decided that it was time for me to do the same and give to others. To be honest, I have had it pretty darn good thus far in life.  I have never wanted for much.  I have only ever wanted for the things that I thought I needed, to satisfy some ideal that I thought was important.  The American Dream - the house, the car, the 1.5 kids.  Funny what society throws at us and tells us that we need to uphold.

This year has been one of the very first where I have gotten myself into a new way of thinking.  Instead of worrying so much about what others think, I have, for the first time in my life, only worried about what I think.  It's been hard and it is still a work in progress, but I am gaining some ground.  It's been surprising how good it feels to give to others.  I heard a quote once that really spoke to this:

"When you put good will out there, it's amazing what can be accomplished." - Paul Walker, Reach Out Worldwide Founder

Paul was a great example of someone who could have given into the charms of Hollywood fame and it's perks, but he instead chose to turn that around and help out those in need.  After his untimely death, other family members stepped in to make sure that his legacy was upheld.  Again, another example of putting others first.

My lesson in all of this is that the time for me has come to turn my life from one of just being and doing to one of self-care and looking out for my fellow human beings.  I keep going back to the notion that we are role models for our children.  Simple as that!

As Always, P.A. Walker

In honor of Paul and his charity, please consider donating to Reach Out Worldwide.  For more information on what this charity is all about, head over to www.roww.org.