Posted By Ryan

As the overcast clouds pass my window in my office, I think of how eerie all the buildings in this city look encased in the fog. I am the first to tell you I love the rain and the seasons changing, new clothes and new memories to be made (like the Halloween parties I have coming up this weekend). Alas, as I turned on my computer this morning I was greeted with a satellite image of greater San Diego, imbued with worm-like lines of smoke squirming out onto the ocean. I am so thankful the fog I have to deal with is only temporarily blocking out the sun and not threatening our city. My best friend lives in San Diego and while she is fine, she tells me that there is a very strange mood there. “No one is in school or at work, the National Guard is patrolling neighborhoods, the mall and all other stores are closed. There is nothing to do but surf,” she told me today. I can only imagine those people trapped at the stadium watching the news and seeing their neighborhood devastated by fire, having that feeling of utter despair and displacement. The mental images are enough to pull at anyone’s heart, urging them to want to help. As my own personal tribute, I started my own fire today. I took out a California Jasmine Jimmy Belasco candle (scented with jasmine, bergamot, ylang and crème) because Jimmy himself believes in giving back. With every candle purchased on the website, a portion is donated to the customer’s charity of choice. As I watch the flame flicker against our cities grey backdrop, I can only hope that California’s smoky surroundings disappear soon.