Eric Rankin

Though I’ve only been a full-time Laguna Beach resident for the past 11 years, I have considered this magical place my second home since the 1960s. Back then, my parents brought me here often for weekend vacations, then for longer stays at the Treasure Island trailer park, where they co-owned a double-wide coach with a view that only guests of the ritzy Montage Hotel can appreciate today. But for all its natural beauty, what captivated me most about Laguna was the feeling I got from its unique community of artists, friendly and bombastic characters (Eiler Larson being the most famous), and peace-loving hippies. What I recognize and am most grateful for today is the significant role this town played in forming my sense of spirituality. For me, this is where the best of humanity converged, and being a good human is what we invite every listener of Awakening Code Radio – a weekly show I co-host with Michelle Anderson – to strive to be.