California is a mess right now. In fact, it’s been a mess for a while. We have, I believe, the highest unemployment rate in the country.

But it’s so beautiful here. That ought to count for something. In how many places anywhere in the world can you witness, in about three hours’ driving time, sailboats on a natural lake and forested, snow-covered mountains, in December?

The old saying, “you can’t eat the scenery” isn’t necessarily true here. It’s hard to go anywhere in the Golden State, north or south, without tripping over some kind of a crop, whether it’s grapes in a coastal vineyard or olives in a valley orchard.

So, with all this bounty at our fingertips, why can’t we get it together and use our plentiful resources wisely? There is work to be done and there are people who need jobs. There are overcrowded classrooms and out of work teachers. What’s wrong with us?

Perhaps we have so much, we forget how precious it all is until it’s gone.