I woke up last Saturday morning in Solana Beach in a bit of a panic. It seems, most Saturday mornings lately, I'm in LA, ready to do coffee and a power walk through Beverly Hills or West Hollywood, and excited by all the cool and iconic surroundings that continue to inspire me to no end.

But on this Saturday, I was in Solana Beach. I looked outside my window: the surf on the Pacific was calm, the sky was overcast with our typical "June Gloom" and random bikers and joggers slowly passed by on HWY 101 in front of my bedroom window. And all appeared calm and "perfect". Except it wasn't "perfect" in my mind. When you actually want to be somewhere else - be it LA or wherever - you get a bit antsy in your current "situation", even if it's seemingly pristine. I felt un-inspired for a moment.

"Virtual Reality". I went to my computer right away and scribbled it down. How can I be in an "LA state of mind" while in real time Solana Beach, enjoying the slow lane, hanging out with my daughter at our cosy beach home?

Sure, you can have virtual reality via technology - I know it's out there and it's getting fine tuned to a level that surpasses your wildest technicolor dreams. But what I'm talking about is, what if you could create virtual reality with just the power of your mind, anywhere, anytime and step into your dream life's own movie script?

As a creative person and as a jazz musician and writer, "LA" to me stands for something very big and important: it's a kind of sacred ground where our collective dreams and fantasies become blockbuster movies and multi-platinum albums that magically fuel billions of imaginations around the world. "My LA" has Sinatra and Marilyn at the helm, jazz clubs, glamour, class, magic, innovation, excitement and substance. I like calling it the "City of Angels".

I asked myself, how do I feel when I am in LA? I feel elevated, creative, inspired and glamorous, to start. I am around creative people and inspiring places; I experience shows, movies and music that fill my tank with new ideas; I float through the different parts and flavors of LA as if on a magic carpet, taking in the unique beauty of each like it's a drug.

So now, how do you duplicate that feeling when you are living in a little California beach town called happily, "Solana Beach", where there is no Capitol Records tower, Mullholland Drive or Universal Studios? But where we do have a pretty cool little community, an art and music scene, great neighbors, beaches that stretch as far as the eye can see and a sunset over the ocean that never disappoints.

Virtual Reality.

So, last Saturday morning, I decided to LIVE IT UP and get excited and inspired like I do in LA, Solana Beach style, while holding on to the principles that attract me to LA.

I got dressed in swanky neon workout clothes from my Solana Beach girlfriend's brand, Graced by Grit, put a little blush on my cheeks, fluffed up my blonde hair, and jumped on board my lipstick red beach cruiser bike. My daughter and I ran errands on our bikes all morning: printing off flyers for my next (very glamorous) jazz event, then had a "gourmet" lunch at one of Solana Beach's most down-to-earth and thus super hip micro-breweries, Pizza Port. We rode our bikes to drop off our flyers in town and were greeted by our local business owners by our first names. We saw friends along the way and peeked into a couple of art galleries. And we even went shopping at the local Marshall's and filled our bike baskets to the brim with brands I am used to seeing in Beverly Hills. And most importantly, we had fun and were happy.

Then we went home, and as my daughter frolicked with her friends and watched the latest Hollywood blockbuster at the local luxury cinema, I started writing this blog. And once again, I felt elevated like I do in LA, sharing a universal and creative message, from a little sunny town in Southern California, only 99 miles from the Hollywood Sign!

Your happy place, whether it's LA or anywhere else, lives inside you. Create your reality - virtual reality - around it - whenever you need it. And you'll be there in no time, where happiness abounds! And there, your dreams can continue to take shape, into reality. Forever. Then one day, you'll turn around and say "oh s***, I'm really living my dream - and it feels like flying!" It's just like a Hollywood movie.

#FindYourWings