–a step outside the studio

Sometimes, it’s a good thing to step outside yourself and remember that we live on a small blue planet with just over 7 billion close personal friends…well, not exactly.

To a lesser extreme, Tracy and I have had many conversations about our own community’s well-being when the “big one” hits…such heady subject-matter to discuss while tile-glazing or during pre-studio morning walks…

We’ve known each other for a long time and remember the “scare” that computers would shut-down involuntarily, causing  our infra-structure to collapse when the calendar turned over to the year 2000.  Additionally, the massive windstorm of November 1, 2011 super-charged our dialog about providing for ourselves in the event of an emergency.  The  little town of Sierra Madre (where the studio is located) suffered from a high percentage of tree-blocked streets.  No city or county personnel arrived with large equipment to “save the day”.  The town was liberated by it’s own community members–neighbors helping neighbors.

And finally, here in Southern California, we live in a land of earthquakes.  It’s pretty hard to ignore that little fact!

All that being said, we have both talked about taking a CPR class and perhaps a first-aid class as well.  The November windstorm was really an eye-opener about how long whole neighborhoods (filled with families) could be on their own, without outside help.

So, after reading in the newspaper about the National campaign promoting Hands-Only Sidewalk CPR,  we took the morning off from the studio last Thursday to check out the “sidewalk” event sponsored by a local hospital.  We found ourselves with 2 hands linked together pressing into the chest of our friend pictured here, to the rhythm of  the disco anthem “Staying Alive”.

We see that we have much to learn and are inspired to take the extended course offered throughout our local cities.

The American Heart Association has multiple resources online, including a variety of “how-to” videos.  They highlight the 2 steps to saving a life:

                  How to Give Hands-Only CPR

1. Call 9-1-1 (or send someone to do that).
2. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of the classic disco song “Stayin’ Alive.” CPR can more than double a person’s chances of survival, and “Stayin’ Alive” has the right beat for Hands-Only CPR

                 Check out  http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/