What Was Lost in the Fire and How you Can Help
As the tenth day closes, during some of the most productive weeks of the year for Americans, blazes with names like the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst Fire are the only things making progress here in Los Angeles. I’m one of the lucky ones who sat in my yellow zone of recommended evacuation on top of a pile of haphazardly packed bags for my family, frantically watching my phone and googling instructions on how to turn off the main gas line (still unsure about that one…). But all I did was watch while others were forced to flee. Now, as the cleanup of white ash and leaves continues around my still-standing structure, a perspective is gained on what was lost in the fire that maybe should never rise again.
*Editors Note: This is an op-ed piece written from a place of privilege. It’s meant to unpack the feelings felt by the author, and perhaps the readers of EatDrinkLA, in being part of this great city and not quite knowing how to move forward in a productive way. It’s not meant to diminish the absolute devastation of those who have lost their homes to the fires.
Art Imitating Life
A few days after the beginning of the year, I was taking a flight home from Los Cabos, Mexico, to Los Angeles and catching up on The Morning Show. I’m about five years behind in this popular Apple TV drama starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon as co-anchors on a Today-show-like news program. If you’re a fan of the show, perhaps you can remember the first season, during which there were several episodes where the leads covered California wildfires in the Malibu area. Jennifer Aniston’s character actually chooses to fly from New York City to cover the fires in an attempt to avoid her personal life, which is going up in flames.
While fires in California are certainly not groundbreaking show material, you can imagine that filling my creative brain with images of Los Angeles in flames made everything a bit meta when, just a day later, the flames erupted across the city.
Not one of us is above Displacement
Los Angeles is a city of transplants, filled with people moving to begin their lives anew. I myself am from Miami, Florida, but I have called L.A. my home for longer than my birth city. Before the fires, the crisis of this city had been homelessness and housing of those considered “less fortunate” among us. The Palisades and Eaton Fires made it very clear that not one of us is above displacement – even if you work all your life without missing a beat or happen to have a bank account with a few extra zeros. One can hope that we might all look at one another as sharing the same lived experience from now on.
Character above Content
As a blog writer for over a decade, the most challenging thing always seems to be “keeping up.” Whether it’s trends, hot spots, or just foodie calendar reminders like National Chicken Sandwich Day, it’s a FOMO that keeps my brain in a constant loop, ensuring I don’t miss a beat or feeling bad when I do. It can make Instagram feel like a disease at times. Can you relate?
The fires in Los Angeles have brought me to a place of paralysis when it comes to social media because nothing feels quite as important as what others are going through.
Following a tragedy, there is always a rebuilding period where you get to make dedicated choices as to what you will bring back into your life. For this writer, I know I’m being called to create less content in favor of what really matters. I’d rather spend my time writing about things in this city that haven’t yet been explored instead of echoing the popular vote. I also know that means resisting the addiction to be in constant creation mode, even if it means someone else covers it first.
It’s time to prune at EatDrinkLA, and I hope you will stick around for the ride. Don’t worry; there will still be the occasional chicken sandwich and pizza slice, but it might be from a place you’ve never heard of.
I’d love to know your thoughts below regarding your journey and what areas of your life you will be igniting or extinguishing for 2025.
How you can Help
Follow the chain of connection. Perhaps you know someone who has lost a home and has a GoFundMe? While there are certainly stories of scammers, this fire has been so widespread that it’s not hard to find someone in need with just a degree of separation from you.
At my son’s school, a beloved teacher, Mrs. Osment, lost everything. Then, of course, there are restaurants like Side Pie in Altadena, which built a thriving pizza business during the pandemic and are now finding themselves at square one once again. Lastly, there are always wonderful organizations like The Salvation Army and The Red Cross.
Whatever you do, take care of yourself too. No matter where you live, this is a part of all of us.