SB LIFE & STYLE from the editor
S
o I have a side project at work. Our office overlooks a landscaped courtyard and in the spring the rose bushes and cherry blossom trees outside our windows explode with pink flowers. The roses especially are above average—there are probably more petals on the plants than leaves. Every single day people will stop to take photos of the roses. It’s amusing to see repetitively so I’ve been compiling an album of people taking photos of the roses, staring at the roses, smelling the roses, picking the rose petals off the ground and putting them on their heads, etc. Usually I’m too slow in reaching for my phone, yet I’ve acquired about 25 photos...and got another while writing this. Although it’s a lighthearted project for me, they’re onto something. I see these roses daily, yet didn’t acknowledge that they are particularly eye-catching until noticing people taking time out of their day to appreciate them. The moral of this is not to be self-conscious while admiring roses (because someone like me could be analyzing you) but to appreciate how beautiful this city we see every day is. Take a page from this issue and rediscover our coastline or have dinner at a tried and true local restaurant. And sure, if you want to, stop and smell the roses.
Ottocina Ryan
Editor in Chief Santa Barbara Life & Style Magazine
14 | MAY/JUNE 2018
