Holiday Hugs and New Year’s Hopes

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel 

Part of the fun of the holiday season is sending greeting cards to friends and family. A nice change from the ads and bills that jam people’s mailboxes, greeting cards let us send a smile, love, and wishes for a Happy New Year. Religious, heartfelt or humorous, whatever we send, it shows people we’re thinking about them and keeps us connected.

This year SurfWriter Girls found a box of cards created by greeting card giant Hallmark with UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund). It’s a partnership that dates back to 2006 with part of the proceeds going to UNICEF to “spread kindness and help support kids around the world.”

UNICEF has been making greeting cards since 1949 when a young Czech girl sent it a handmade drawing of children dancing around a maypole to thank the organization for its help to the war torn Czech nation. UNICEF utilized the art for a fundraiser and the positive response was so enormous that it launched its greeting card program.

Over the years the cards’ designs have showcased artworks submitted by children around the world and even famous artists, including Picasso, Chagall, and Matisse.

SurfWriter Girl Patti began sending UNICEF cards as a college student. “I loved the cards’ whimsical, uplifting messages and they were an affordable extravagance that fit into my limited student budget.”

Sunny is a longtime fan of the cards and was excited by this latest assortment. In looking through the box, we learned about the traditions behind the greeting card themes because each card has a note inside explaining the history of the images.

As noted, the cardinal symbolizes the “beauty and warmth of the holiday season.” Evergreen wreaths and trees, which remain green even in winter, represent “eternal life.” Stars symbolize “strength and unity.” The deer represent “kindness and gentleness.” The dove is a “universal symbol of peace.” And Christmas trees represent the decorating of trees that began in 18th Century Germany.

So many choices and ways to spread cheer! Now, this story is SurfWriter Girls Season’s Greetings card to you!

Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine

SurfWriter Girls

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.

The Beauty of Imperfection

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

During the holidays when everyone is looking for gifts that are shiny and new, SurfWriter Girls invite you to stop and think a moment about the gifts we already have.

The Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi celebrates the beauty of imperfection and aging and of things that are impermanent and incomplete.

It is the beauty of things both humble and modest. It is the beauty of things that have been used, are raw, unrefined and unconventional.

Old Levi’s jeans, a comfortable chair, a weathered fence, a tree that’s been in your yard forever, your favorite surfboard, classic cars, watches that wind by hand, the neighborhood diner.

SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel have been learning about Wabi-Sabi, which dates back 5,000 years, and its emphasis on self-acceptance and finding joy in everyday things as they are.

We learned that in Japan cracked vases or bowls are often repaired with gold, highlighting the flaw and turning it into a mark of beauty that represents part of the object’s history.

Originally derived from Buddhist teachings, the word Wabi refers to rustic simplicity, freshness, and understated elegance – both in nature and in man-made works.

It can describe a uniqueness or elegance, too. Sabi represents the beauty and serenity that come from age…with visible flaws and worn patina adding to its charm.

Drawing from nature, Wabi-Sabi reminds us of the simple reality that things don’t stay the same, changing from day-to-day and season-to-season with different shapes and colors unfolding through the passing of time.

Putting aside the quest for air-brushed perfection in our lives, selves and surroundings, Wabi-Sabi is a way to de-stress. To relax and slow down, to embrace each moment, the people we love and the things we have.

Rather than searching for the next new thing to buy or do, we can find something much more valuable – an inner calm and the happiness that comes from being ourselves.

Wabi-Sabi is the perfect holiday gift to give yourself – the gift to be imperfect.

Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine

SurfWriter Girls

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.

Thankful for Colors of the Reefs!

 Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

November is Coral Bleaching Awareness Month, drawing attention to the need to protect the world’s coral reefs from losing their vivid colors and sustainability.

During this time of Thanksgiving when autumn’s red and gold leaves are taking center stage, it’s easy to overlook the dazzling colors hidden from sight below the sea in the ocean’s coral reefs.

Exotic and mysterious, coral reefs around the world, from Hawaii and the Caribbean to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef exist in an endless variety of color – color that is at risk of fading to white as reefs lose their nutrients due to environmental factors and can potentially die.

More than just objects of beauty, coral reefs are underwater living ecosystems that provide food and shelter to more than 25% of the ocean’s sea life. Coral reefs have been called the “rainforests of the sea.”

And like trees protecting the land from the elements, coral reefs protect the world’s shorelines from storms and erosion and help to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air.

The different colors of the reefs – red, orange, yellow, blue, pink, and more – come from the mix of algae in their tissues and varying light conditions and water temperatures. The brighter and bolder the colors, the healthier the reefs.

Marine scientists are working to keep the vivid colors in the reefs – no easy task given the threats from climate change, pollution, habitat destruction and overfishing.

In her children’s book The Great Barrier Thief author Dr. Sue Pillans (AKA “Suzie Starfish”), a marine scientist and visual artist, tackles the problem of coral bleaching and the reasons that many coral reefs are losing their colors.

With the help of her protagonist, a pink fish named Anthia, Pillans hopes to ensure that the Great Barrier Reef doesn’t lose its dazzling colors.

SurfWriter Girls are excited about the world of beautiful colors under the sea and are thankful for the coral reefs.

Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine

SurfWriter Girls

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.

Birds Flock to Huntington Beach Safe Haven

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

The very first story SurfWriter Girls wrote for Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine (in 2014) was about a special place for migrating birds that is even more special now – Huntington Beach’s Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.

We’re excited to revisit Bolsa Chica now because it’s a local treasure. With fewer natural wildlife areas due to urban development, the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve has been designated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife as a protected coastal wetland.

For our initial research, SurfWriter Girls Sunny and Patti talked to Joe Shaw, who was then the President of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, and learned how important it is to keep Bolsa Chica in its natural state…something that can be challenging in an era of beachside property development.

Seeing the wetlands for ourselves we were entranced by it. More than just its raw beauty, Bolsa Chica – which means “little pocket” in Spanish – is a sanctuary for migrating birds and provides a tranquil habitat for hundreds of species of wildlife.

Among the birds and wildlife sheltering here are the snowy plover, Savannah sparrow, least tern, great blue heron, snowy egret, red-tailed hawk, and great horned owl, cottontail rabbits, ground squirrels, and more.

In the wetlands birds can rest on their long journeys and have a safe place to breed, nest, and rear their young.

Without these pit stops along the way, migrating birds become exhausted and disoriented, unable to reach their destinations and even dying for lack of food, water and shelter.

An oasis of primitive beauty in an urban setting, the 1,700-acre Bolsa Chica reserve wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the efforts of community volunteers, environmental groups like the Surfrider Foundation, and especially the Bolsa Chica Land Trust.

For over 30 years the BCLT has been working to protect all of Bolsa Chica’s mesas and wetlands. “Our mission is the preservation of the entire eco-system,” Kim Kolpin, Executive Director of the Land Trust, told SurfWriter Girls.

In 1997 the BCLT was instrumental in saving 921 acres of wetlands. Since then it has been involved in the ongoing process of restoring the wetlands and educating people on the essential role they play in the environment.

In addition to protecting Bolsa Chica’s wetlands, the BCLT is working to save an area within the preserve known as the Sacred Cogged Stone Site, which was once an ancient village and contains a treasure trove of carved stones.

The cogged stones – over 500 in all – are a mysterious archeological find that could be linked to similar sites discovered in Chile over 9,000 years ago.

Researchers are eager to discover the true meaning of the stones and what they meant to the cultures that created them. Some think that the stones served a utilitarian purpose, while others believe that they were used in religious ceremonies.

By preserving Bolsa Chica, we and future generations will be able to learn more about the stones, this connection with our past….and how the Native Americans lived in harmony at the wetlands.

To the casual observer Bolsa Chica’s raw landscape, dotted with scrub brush and wildflowers, might not seem important, especially when compared to million dollar homes and luxury resorts. But, to migrating birds it’s a lifeline on their journeys home.

On a bright Saturday morning SurfWriter Girls talked to volunteers who were working to restore the wetlands – removing invasive plants and planting drought-tolerant, native vegetation.

Everyone was excited about being able to safeguard this unspoiled stretch of land and maintain a key link in the birds’ migration route.

To surfers everywhere Huntington Beach is famous for being Surf City USA , but to migrating birds it’s a “little pocket” where they can rest.

Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.