Back in the saddle with Brad Johnson

seeing the customers at all. Any way each customer wished to do business was granted, leaving the business, itself, affected by nothing more than an expansion of folks with real needs. Courtesy, exactly as the name implies, had long picked up and delivered vehicles. So, in this unprecedented time, they increased valet drivers while remarkably increasing employees. Like so many imaginative and ingenious solutions surfacing across the board, Jerry, too, wants many of them to remain far after the pandemic is gone. With all three occurrences, Jerry and Diane are left with nothing more than gratitude, empathy, and a restored faith in what they have accomplished—and what they are on the brink of concluding.

As the conversation moved forward, so did Jerry with the biggest smile ever announcing, “We have our permits now!” Immediately following, Diane chimed in, “Jerry’s ready to go!” The couple took a moment and reflected on the fact this is a milestone for them—the next chapter as they have reached the moment of groundbreaking of the entire development. They could not be more hyped than the reality that the entire Northstate will be faced with the best source, the newest facilities, and most conveniences imaginable. The amenities will be palpable: including a car wash and detail center, fast lube service, a paint and body shop, and full glass availability. Most importantly, each brand—BMW, Buick-GMC, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru and Volvo—will have their own unique showroom. Each showroom will display eight cars with delivery centers and lifestyle boutiques, all under the 115,00 square feet of the total facility. More importantly, and with a keen eye on the future, they are also ensuring full electrification abilities.

Jerry emphasized, “The entire goal is to bring this state-of-the-art dealership to all of the communities in the Northstate so they no longer have a reason to go to any other municipality to purchase or service a car or truck.” The future Courtesy Automotive Center is willing to do anything to ensure the best experience for every consumer. Jerry remains adamant, “The customers must: experience it, feel the difference, and only then will we have arrived.” All unforeseen obstacles aside, each chilling and unfortunate event only makes the end result worth the wait when each customer, returning and future, gets the full feeling that it is truly worth the wait. Just like Jerry and Diane envisioned six years ago.

Riding for reading pals

Mark Twain wrote, “The world is a book, and those who don’t travel read only one page.” It can also be said that books open the world to us—that without the legacy of reading, the world cannot be explored. Children cannot experience the wonders of different places; cannot delve into what it’s like to be a doctor, an astronaut, or an archaeologist; cannot escape to magical places that only exist between the pages of a book.

Brad Johnson questions, “How do we supercharge a child’s imagination? Reading.” He aims to share this love of reading with children through his motorcycle travels, which benefit an organization known as Reading Pals. His first fundraising ride was from Alaska to Paradise, California, and his upcoming ride will be from New Mexico to the Canadian border. Brad says, “I’m an avid reader, and I was given the gift from my mom; I’ve passed that gift onto my daughters. The more I thought about it, I wondered how I could share that love of reading with other children.”

Brad learned more about the Reading Pals program from a friend in Paradise and was instantly invested. The program’s tenet is ‘Rewriting stories through the power of reading. One Volunteer. One Child. One Hour.’ Volunteers follow a basic curriculum with one child for one hour a week. The organization believes that the simple act of reading with a child “doesn’t just teach them to read, it changes the trajectory of their life.” Brad’s work schedule didn’t allow for him to commit to becoming a mentor, but he wanted to contribute to the cause, so he committed to riding his motorcycle from Fairbanks, Alaska down to Paradise, California, collecting donations for the miles he traveled. He traveled five to eight hundred miles a day, passing through amazing landscapes, trying to remind himself to slow down and enjoy the wonders around him. When he returned, he shared a slideshow of his trip as another fundraising aspect of the ride. Brad says they collected $2700 from the trip and slideshow, “Not a lot considering I put in $2200 of my own money, but it didn’t matter because the clear winners were the kids… and me.” For Brad, the rides are two-fold in that while it benefits Reading Pals, the ride is also a balm for his soul.

hear the story of the horrific motorcycle accident he suffered in July of 2018. He was hit by an impaired driver and suffered multiple compound fractures, crush injuries, and a broken neck. He spent 21 days in a coma and came out of the fog to see pictures of family and cards from friends taped to his hospital room wall. Brad says, “Recovery from terrible injury is a process. You don’t go from near death to normal life in one step. There are many little steps and small victories.” While still recovering and using crutches to move around, Brad was subsequently trapped during the Camp Fire. Driving down Billie road in Paradise, the traffic came to a standstill. He says, “We could see fires, hear explosions, the town was going up in flames around us, and we were barely moving.” He pulled off the side of the road, grabbed his crutches, and started to carefully move on foot. A man in a truck stopped and gave Brad a ride out of the chaotic inferno and brought him to safety.

Brad wants kids to understand that they can get through to the other side of whatever adversity or struggle they face. He shares, “When you give to that last inch of what you have left, that’s not the end, that’s just the beginning of the hard work. Frustration doesn’t mean we give up. It means we try harder.” Life is about trying. It’s about effort. It’s about overcoming.

Brad Johnson is this statement personified. He’s getting back on his motorcycle for another epic Reading Pal ride, overcoming his struggles and fears. He has planned a Continental Divide ride to benefit Reading Pals, which begins on July 31st. This trip will take him along the spine of the Rocky Mountains, from the border of Mexico all the way up to Canada, a trip of over 2,700 miles. He anticipates taking about 21 days to complete the ride and will again be fundraising for Reading Pals with a GoFundme page along with a slideshow presentation following his return. To find out more about Reading Pals and how you can help, head to their website at www.readingpalschico.org or check them out on FaceBook-Reading Pals Chico.

Protection, Not Correction!

One of the most recommended skin care products is sunscreen. It is preventative care to keep the burning and aging UV rays from damaging our skin.

Brown spots and dehydration wrinkles form from getting too much sun. The worst outcome of too much sun exposure is skin cancer. Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, and Melanoma are more common than we would like to think. A lot of these could be prevented with the simple everyday use of an SPF of 30-50. Even if it is raining, there are UVA and UVB rays that are getting through. It can even penetrate glass, and reflection from water or snow can make those rays even stronger!

Sunscreens have come a long way since the white zinc we used to use to protect our noses. They are formulated to be less oily, lighter weight, and some have a tint so they don't dry white and "ghost-y". Application is easy, and many sunscreens are moisturizing too, so you don't have to layer them with a regular moisturizer.

There are laser and light-based treatments that can help to reverse and clean up sun damage, but the use of sunscreen can keep those spots from ever forming. If we get in the habit of using sunscreen early on, sun damage is preventable, and protecting your skin now is better than correcting spots later!

Your skin care professional can recommend the right sunscreen fit for your skin type.

DERM BAR MED-SPA 85 Declaration Dr. Suite 100 Chico, CA 95973 | 530.342.2672

JESSICA DARLING WILKERSON, MA, LMFT 104464 LICENSED MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPIST EMDR CLINICIAN

Susan is a little quirky. She’s smart, fun, and also quirky. The quirky part of her is one that friends and family find endearing. Socially, she finds fun and enjoyment letting her goofy side fly free; laughing too hard at jokes, being creative on the fly, problem solving quickly and finding the bright side of sudden changes to plans. She’s used to pivoting in regards to plans, tasks, and expectations. Susan’s quirky side is also her greatest source of shame and fear.

She knows she’s a little different than her colleagues. They seem to have everything together and they can follow a linear train of thought. Highly intelligent and dedicated to her profession, Susan also masks her difficulty with concentrating on one thing at a time by having multiple irons in the fire. Ironically, multitasking is both her superpower and her kryptonite. She can tell that people notice her more difficult days when she’s “spacier” or “flightier,” and staying on task is more of a struggle. She believes that people are just “putting up with her” because they know she’s smart and diligent, but she tells herself that they clearly also feel she’s awkward. On these days, crippling dread paralyzes her and reinforces all the negative things she had learned through the years about herself and the quirky way she thinks. Susan tries shoving it down, hiding it as much as she can, and just prays she will change. She hopes that eventually, all the work she does to mask her issue will take root, and she’ll be able to navigate as normally as it appears the rest of the world can.

ADHD, ASD, BPD, anxiety & depression – it’s an alphabet soup of diagnoses, any of these could be contributing to Susan’s issue. Usually, anxiety and/or depression comes along with one of the other acronym diagnoses. But a person is not a diagnosis. When Susan finally went to talk to a therapist about how stressful her work is, but not necessarily because of the job itself, she learned that she has had ADHD all her life and it has led to anxiety, self-doubt, perfectionism, and fear of rejection. She also learned that it is what has enabled her to be a quick thinker and problem solver, creative, hyper-focused at times, and dive deep intellectually and philosophically.

Learning about the attributes of her ADHD and gaining more skills on how to navigate around some of the difficulties allowed Susan an opportunity to fully embrace her quirky self, feeling freer than she’s ever felt and giving her permission to lower her mask more often with the hope of someday removing it altogether.

Jessica Wilkerson, MA, LMFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist in Chico, CA. She is an EMDR clinician as well as the owner/operator and clinical supervisor of Inspired Life Counseling. For more information, visit www.jessicawilkerson.com and www.inspiredlifechico.com. Jessica can also be reached via phone at (530) 809-1702