Poem and Painting: Solitude at the Beach- Work and Life Balance

Dr. Murad Abel

The sands of summer,

subtle breeze of daylight hours. 

Whips of grass,

rustling in sway.

Salty sea of ocean blue,

A place to sit for a while.

On the shoreline grass,

Where noise is a soft hum.

The waves never stop rolling,
Always keeping the line of land and sea.

A few minutes of walking,
Life's problems step away.

A few hours a week,
Your focus will be at its peak.

The poem discusses the idea that each person needs to find balance in their lives, work life, and goals. At times that balance comes from spending time alone while other times it could be spending time with family or engaging in fitness activities. Each person should discover that which keeps them motivated about life.

Work is a process that is aesthetically pleasing for a great many high performance players. Yet life isn't only about work. It includes other things such as family, friends, goals, and hobbies. Professionals should round out their interests in life to include both work but also non-work activities.

In my experience I have met individuals whose only goal is to progress at work with little regard for the other needs in their life. They may eventually achieve their goal but must give up other things that also have importance. Too narrow of a focus takes away from the flavor of life and leads to burn out.

Find activities and hobbies that help you balance and round out your life. For example, if you like cars but never had a chance to put your effort into one go and find a classic junker to fix up on the few hours you own every weekend. Maybe you want to coach baseball, engage in art, or find something else of interest. The choice is yours!

Beautiful Beaches Raise San Diego’s Digital Profile as a Vacation Destination

San Diego Beaches are some of the most beautiful in the country. According to Trip Advisor the beaches of La Jolla, Coronado and Carlsbad made their way into the nation’s top 25 (McVicker, 2014). As a local attraction beaches are a clear draw for people and a way people envision San Diego. The right kind of images can raise the status of an area.

If you doubt the brand of San Diego as associated with sunny beaches go ahead and ask someone from any place in the country what the first thing they think of when the city is mentioned. Most likely they will say something about the weather, ocean, beaches, restaurants and military. San Diego is seen as a destination place for vacation and fun.

Having positive reviews of San Diego in the news, vacation sites, and in general on cybersphere helps to raise the status of the area. The more times it is mentioned in various information channels and media the higher the association of the image in people’s minds. This can help the area become a greater destination place that reaps the financial rewards.

Consider how people find information today for trips and vacations. They search online using key terms such as “best U.S. vacation places”, “vacation places with beaches”, etc… The frequency of terms used to describe the city, or any city, will impact the which localities will be recalled for people to consider in their choices.

Trip Adviser is one popular site that impacts the amount of people who will eventually visit the area and spend their money. Like the marketing of any company the more people who see positive information about the city the more likely they will choose to vacation here.  The money people spend is converted to profits, wages, taxes, and investments.

Beaches may not seem like much but they are a major draw for vacationers. Other factors that attract people are the types of jobs in the area, the recreational activities, the social life, and the type of city governance. When people are deciding where to visit and spend they will naturally gravitate where their interests lay. Where and how they find that information is becoming increasingly digitized.

McVicker, L. (Feb 18, 2014). 3 San Diego Beaches Ranked in Top 25 in US. http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/3-San-Diego-Beaches-Ranked-in-Top-25-in-US-292477631.html#ixzz3UrohZTHj

Sunday Morning Sunrise and Sunset in San Diego

By Murad Abel

San Diego has been considered a beach goers paradise for a long time and attracts a motivated crew of followers. With its warm beaches and surf friendly waves few can deny the tropical benefits of living locally. Above all the positive things one could say about San Diego one cannot argue with the beauty of the rocky hills, cliffs, oceans, beaches, and mountains. Almost no place on earth can beat the sunrises and sunsets.

If you have ever sat on the beach in the early evening after frequenting one of the many restaurants you will know what I mean. The weather will be in the mid 60's as the sun makes it way past the horizon. The smell of the ocean seaweed and the sound of the gulls will be apparent as the sun pulls its cover for one more night.

To commemorate the event I like to write poems or paint pictures. I believe it is important to keep in touch with one's artistic side and expression of life to ensure that we stay grounded to some of the more important things in life. All too often we get stuck in a routine of making money, accomplishing some business goal, or chasing some prestige building event but forget the simple things.

Those simple things are all around us; the sunrise and sunset being just some of those things. Perhaps you might enjoy hiking in the mountains or taking a canoe trip. For others it may be throwing a fishing line in the water at the end or sitting on the patio of one of their favorite restaurants.

Sunday Morning Sunrise

Sunday morning sunrise,

bright lights through hazy fog.

A day of whistling disposition,

A happy song of renewal.

Marking the start of a day,

A sunny season of starlight streams.

Colored fingers that stretch to night.

Overcome by a lack of sight.

The fog rolls and tucks in,

The same as the day before.

Find out when your sunset happens HERE

The Secret Surfing of Fletcher's Cove

Fletcher’s Cove is a little known surfing location in Solana Beach. With a beautiful maintained park, clean and easy access bathrooms, with plenty of parking lot and street parking you may think it is worth the short drive to frequent. Once parked you simply walk down a hill and onto a very well maintained beach. Walls of stone line the entire beach for about a mile to the Northern coastline. 

One of the reasons why this beach is different from many of the others is that it is North of San Diego and out of way. This means that it is not packed like many other beaches to the South. In addition to the easy to find places to sun tan is a lifeguard who should help surfers feel safe. Occasionally you will even find a food vendor at the top of the hill if you are in the mood for a bag of chips or hot dog. 

The waves are large compared to some of the other beaches I have been on. You may find that the water is a little murky with sand and seaweed. Likewise, you should consider the pebbles nestled in the sand if you decide to jump off your board in shallow water. Other than these few drawbacks, the overall convenience and the highly maintained area are a benefit making it a surfer’s secret. 

Once you are done surfing you may be interested in walking to the East for a block to find a number of different restaurants. Hwy 101 is known for its easy parking and throughway throughout the town. A few blocks beyond this and you run into Cedros avenue and see the downtown area where additional eating and shopping outlets are located.